Superb action scenes, too much focus on love story

Rating: Null/10 (24 May 2001)

Well, I was among the lucky ones who were able to see this 3-hour long epic before it hit movie theaters all around the world. I expected great action scenes and high-level acting from Ben Affleck and all the others. And this was what I got, only with slightly too much romance... I have to tell you folks that every dime spent on blowing up carriers and fighter planes was worth it. Finally a movie where flames are not computer generated! Watching the Zeros fly in low towards Pearl Harbor gives you goosebumps. Your flesh is crawling with excitement whenever an action scene is on. IT IS JUST IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE IT MORE PERFECT. BRAVO MR. BAY!!! One "flaw" of the movie, though is its length. So, my fellow action-fans, do not expect 3 hours of full-throttle machine-gunning and stunning explosions. The romance part is stripping this experience from you quite often. But it's not a big deal and the "corniness factor" is as low as possible. Josh Hartnett first proved his talent for me in The Faculty. This work of his, however, shows way beyond that performance. He's now in one league with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon... John Voight as the president of the United States was also a remarkable choice, and so was Tom Sizemore and Alec Baldwin in the supporting roles. Cuba Gooding, Jr. had only a minor part to play, but did it with strikingly convincing power. As usual... All in all, a magnificent movie was put together for us by Michael Bay, with outstanding performances and breath-taking, highly realistic action scenes. The romance part could have been cut a little shorter, but it is just an uplifting feeling to watch these guys play...