Nothing new... (contains some spoilers)

Rating: 2/10 (7 July 2001)

When I see a movie that I somewhat don't appreciate, I can easily sit and search any little flaw to rack the movie down with. So I'll try not to.
PEARL HARBOR doesn't put away the grease. But that's not really a secret. As usual in Hollywood Blockbusters the movie is parted in three different parts. Part one invites us to a lovestory between Ben Affleck and Kate Beckinsale and their friends, especially Affleck's life-long-buddy (Josh Hartnett). The lovers have one last night before Affleck has to go off to war. However he gets shot down and is reported dead. A new love story comes to life when Hartnett comforts Beckinsale. Naturally, their romance doesn't end the story. Of course, Affleck isn't dead. He returns and his longtime friend becomes an enemy. The same old story, that is. The lovestory isn't pale but it's rather predictable and I'm afraid to say the concept isn't immortal.
In part two Japan bombs Pearl Harbor. The five minutes right before the actual bombing is perhaps the only really impressive thing in the whole movie. It lays a layer of suspense over America and nobody expects anything. Slowly the worries and the "wait a minute"-feeling increase before it takes everybody with surprise. After that it's basicly an hour of war, with Affleck/Harnett and the boys confused and surprised by the attack. Cuba Gooding Jr also appears with a nice, but strangely vapid character here. It is a very well-made scenario with many big booms and powerful effects. The kind of things that doesn't need any greater thinking to enjoy. It's the best part of the movie.
The third part is all about USA's big revenge against Japan. The two friends, the supporting-actors and some other pilots, are trained by a naval officer (Alec Baldwin) to execute a top secret plan; bombing Tokyo. This part is held up by Baldwin, but gets boring at many times, especially at the end when the group crash in the middle of Japanese troops.
This part contains some of the most overflowing USA-cheers I've ever seen. Especially Baldwin's character talks loudly about his brave American men and teach the pilots how to say "I'm an American" in Chineese. As the patriot he is, he would rather die than be prisoned by the Japanese.
I think PEARL HARBOR has potential. But the script simply has too much clichés. I mean, do people in movies still say "I'm so cold" before they die? The movie has some great editing and special effects, some half-vapid but OK music and the three hours pass very fast. The acting is without any bigger surprises.
Jon Voight does the best job as the American president. He is a very talanted actor and he really makes a powerful and believable job. Though I sympathized mostly with the character Goose. His line "I have a girlfriend" really got a laugh out of me.
Overall I'm generous and give this movie a 6/10, and that's even though the lack of new ideas and the large number of clichés