A good story badly told

Rating: 3/10 (1 June 2001)

There is no better basis for drama than the real-life events leading up to and including the bombing of Pearl Harbor. That is why it is so amazing that this movie is so bad.
Looking at the voting demographic here on IMDb, isn't it interesting that females rate this movie significantly higher than males? Yes, that's right. They have taken Pearl Harbor, a historical event that lead the United States to enter the second world war, and turned it into a 'chick flick'. Another act that will live in infamy.
Maybe I'm being too harsh. Maybe 18-and-under girls like this movie because it is giving them facts with which they are unfamiliar. How the Japanese government was planning war; the work of the code breakers; spotting the incoming bombers on an early radar system; the total surprise; the loss of life; the start of a period of intensity and determination which has not since been equaled in the US. Maybe the guys have all read the books (30 Seconds Over Tokyo), watched Tora, Tora, Tora,; The World at War, etc. and know some of the facts.
If you already know the facts, this movie is a poor retelling. If you are completely clueless about December 7, 1941 maybe you can use it to jumpstart your neglected education.
One other reason to go see it: vintage airplanes.
I gave it a 3