It was a Day of Infamy when this movie came out. This made up movie is an insult to those who died on Dec. 7th 1941. Still, it's not the worst movie.

Rating: 6/10 (10 December 2013)

Pearl Harbor is a pretty awful movie looking back at it, but it was a successful box buster movie. It was kinda insulting to the veterans and those who live around the tragedy event. Directed by Michael Bay, and written by Randall Wallace. It feature a story straight out of badly written soap opera romantic novel. In my opinion, it's seem like a badly written remake or reimagining of 1953's From Here to Eternity. I would love for the film to focus more on the realistic story of those soldiers who died trying to protect our country that day, than those make believe characters with an unrealistic over the top love story that has nothing to do with the real events. I know Michael Bay wanted to graphically portray the horrors of war and was not interested in primarily marketing of mixing tragedy with romance aimed for the young adult PG-13 audience, but with the success of 1997's Titanic. Michael Bay pretty much sold out, and went with the studio ideas. Still, there is a Rated R version DVD out there, if you want to see that. The story goes like this, two fighter pilots, Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett) and Rafe McCawley (Ben Affleck) are both under the command of Major Jimmy Doolittle (Alec Baldwin). Rafe happens to have an Army Nurse girlfriend, Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale) who he loved, but based on what we see on screen, seem to rather spent time away from her and mistreat her. Rafe go off to fight in RAF outfit for American pilots to fight during the Battle of Britain and presumed killed in action. Meanwhile, Danny, Evelyn and the rest of their fellow pilots and nurses are transferred to Pearl Harbor, as Danny and Evelyn move on. Both fall in love with each other, until Rafe return making it a love triangle. The love triangle is god awful trite and how they solved the rush love story wasn't the greatest ending at all. It had cop out end to the film. It wasn't until ¾ in the film, that 'Pearl Harbor' the movie really became about the Pearl Harbor attacks by the Japanese Empire. I do have to say, the Pearl Harbor attack scenes were very well done, action pack while giving the emotional trauma of that day. Still, there were some historic inaccuracy and major factual misrepresentation of the facts in such things like the Doolittle Raids and how Dorie Miller (Cuba Gooding Jr) should be portrayed. Like many historical dramas, Pearl Harbor provoked debate about the artistic license taken by its producers and director. The biggest is the use of fictional replacements for real people. One of the biggest faults is replacing the real pilots, George Welch and Kenneth M. Taylor with the two leads played by Affleck and Hartnett who took to the skies during the Japanese attack and, together, claimed six Japanese aircraft. The pilots could be more realistic in tone, if the film didn't take great liberties on making them look a silly caricature of what romantic movies think military pilots should look like. Not only do they endanger their airplanes, and themselves playing a game of chicken, but they are allow to take citizen on war planes to see sunsets over the harbor and afterwards have sex in the parachute hangar. Plus, they are dyslexic and one is squinty all the time. Excuse me, if I did that. I would be in jail and no way, a pilot! I do have to say, the portrayal of the Japanese were pretty well done. I see no faults in that. All the supporting actors were very good. Mako Iwamatsu and Dan Aykroyd were interesting. I have to say, Jon Voight as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the closest thing to FDR coming back alive. Another thing good about the movie was the soundtrack by Hans Zimmer, and the song by Faith Hill, 'There You'll be". In my opinion, there is no way to have a throwback World War II movie like the pre-Saving Private Ryan old days. Yes, the movie is full of war movie clichés, some good, some stale. America patriotism was written all over the film, like we single-handed won the war by ourselves. I didn't mind it, yes it somewhat true. I don't have that much of a quarrel with the idea of framing a standard romance between fictional characters with true historical events like other WWII drama like 1996's English Patient or From Here to Eternity is a fine film set on Oahu during the months leading up to Dec. 7, 1941. Still, it's not a good idea. Overall: It wasn't the worst war movie ever. There are better movies set during the Pearl Harbor attack that better serve the public. Go watch a few documentaries, if not watch 1970's Tora! Tora! Tora! As it turns out, this disaster flick is both bomb and was the da bomb in the box office.