Good action effects do not save this disaster of a film...

Rating: 4/10 (26 December 2001)

I can honestly say that I can not remember the last time I saw a film this bad.
The film tries to do a Titanic by introducing the Pearl Harbor story through the eyes of two friends (Affleck and Hartnett) who go off to war and a love triangle with nurse (Beckinsale) they both meet.
The love story is predictable and corny. Over half the film is devoted on the two friends and their relationships to the nurse trying to give a back story to the characters so that you will feel for them come the impending attack. It does not work. It is pure cheese and is boring as well. I kept looking at my watch, wondering if anything would happen. During the film you feel nothing for the characters, seeing them as nothing more than the "pretty faces" of Hollywood, rather than character actors who would add to a convincing (I wish it only was) storyline. If this film wants to replicate Titanic, then it should sink with out a trace.....
The attack sequence on Pearl Harbor does liven things up a bit. But being already over an hour and a half into the film, it seems somewhat late to pick up the tempo after so much boredom.
During the attack sequence there were many shots that reminded me of the open sequence of Saving Private Ryan and of the sinking in Titanic. I guess that this is unavoidable given the nature of the film. However in both cases I was given the impression that the film makers (Michael Bay) were coping the techniques, and were not improving on them. Bay's typical use of slow motion in the effects was also overly used to the point of yawning with each successive slow shot. This was a shame as the special effects were otherwise excellent and the only saving point of the film.
Finally the retaliatory strike on Tokyo was again a master of special effects, but this whole section of the movie seemed like another film and seemed out of place. That as least was consistent with the poor pacing in the rest of the film.
I rented the film on DVD. I am glad that I only wasted 4 bucks. The DVD transfer is very good and the sound (DTS) was masterfull.

Score:
Sound (DTS): 10/10 Effects: 7/10 (let down by too much slowmo) Story: 1/10
Overall: 4/10