Laughably awful

Rating: 3/10 (5 February 2005)

One of the most anticipated movies of the summer, Pearl Harbor had the opportunity to be an epic. But it failed miserably. The best description I can come up with for it is an unintentionally comedic, horribly Americanized, Titanic-meets-Top Gun.
How exactly did this movie go wrong? Firstly, if you're looking for something historically accurate, don't bother. I'm not quite sure which war this movie was supposedly taking place during, because it sure wasn't World War II. Of course, if you like laughing at how idiotic Americans are, you have plenty of opportunities, for example, when one of the characters shouts "I think World War II just started" - in 1941.
The acting wasn't half bad, but unfortunately the actors had very little to work with. The love story, which takes up most of the movie, had a plot more ludicrous than any bad daytime soap opera. The basic premise is a love triangle set against the events leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Ben Affleck plays Rafe, an American pilot who signs up for the Eagle Squadron and goes to Britain to fight, leaving behind Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale), his one true love. The plot is complicated when Danny (Josh Hartnett), his best friend from childhood, falls in love with Evelyn. Now, normally, I hate predictable movies, but this one would have been better off staying the course. Instead, its plot twists and and turns are so ridiculous, they turn the love story into a comedy routine.
Not that this movie was all bad. It had its good points. The fight scenes in the planes, though short, were fun, as was seeing lots of ships get blown up. The special effects were definitely the highlight of the movie.
Unfortunately, Pearl Harbor had far too little excitement and far too much stupidity. At over three hours, it was also far too long, especially considering how the entire battle at Pearl Harbor only lasted two hours in reality. It's really too bad, because with a cast including Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, and the surprisingly talented Josh Hartnett, and one of the greatest stories of the twentieth century for material, it really should have been much better.