What happened to what could have been a great film?

Rating: 2/10 (13 September 2010)

My suggestion: don't bother with this one. While it is beautifully shot, with some good acting (most notably Jon Voight as FDR), it is way too "Hollywood," and too long. I don't understand why the makers would feel anything more than the attack on Pearl Harbor wouldn't be spectacular enough to cover in a film. Why go to the Dolittle raid too? Revenge, I suppose. Get back at those Japs! But we all know what happened with Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and that was way more of a spectacular revenge - - and decisive to the outcome of the war as well as consequential to mankind -- than Dolittle was. Also, what is with the 3 hour running time? I've always felt if a movie needs to run 3 hours, it had better have something good to say. This script just didn't have enough gas to propel its 3 hour span, even with the love story intertwined.
Also, for me, a lot of the fighter scenes looked too "Star War-ish" with the CGs, although using real restored fighters exclusively is understandably cost-prohibitive for even a large-budget Hollywood flick.
If you want to see a good Pearl Harbor film, check out "Tora Tora Tora." While not as "pretty" as the 2001 version, the 1970 film has way more substance and authenticity.