Ahhh, Got Any Gum?

Rating: 5/10 (27 May 2001)

What is the deal with this movie. I went in to the theater expecting to see a movie about Pearl Harbor. After about 90 minutes, I did see this Pearl Harbor movie. This "Pearl Harbor" movie lasted at most one hour. After this two and a half hour romp, i was disgusted to see that there still was another 33 minutes left.
For a film being called Pearl Harbor, there was very little focus on the events of Pearl Harbor. Instead the majority of the film was focusing on the love triangle between two boys fighting over the same girl. The problem with this was that the love was too artificial and not real at all. The characters seemed as though they were paper thin, and did not have any interest in one another.
Although I will give credit where credit is due, when the movie stuck to its title, it was an exposition on a grand scale. The visuals of the bombing were stunning, and amazing. I was captivated for this 40-60 minute time period, that is about all. The other two hours were meaningless jargon gathered in an attempt to make this Disney's "Titanic." That is exactly what Disney got, a love story as pitiful as Titanic, with some nice visuals to try and compensate for where the movie lacks.
While watching this movie, I felt myself just wanting to be watching other movies. I wanted to be watching "The Rock," another Michael Bay joint. This movie is better than Pearl Harbor, two fold. I also found myself wanting to watch Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. This is a much better telling of a war story.
All in all, when going to see Pearl Harbor, I just expected to see a movie about Pearl Harbor. If I wanted a love story, I would have seen a film like Bounce, or When Harry Met Sally. Michael Bay should stick to what he is good at, and that is action. Pearl Harbor succeeds a great deal when it deals with action. It is too bad that it only lasts for about 40 minutes of a 180 minute film. Grade: C-