What are you people talking about?

Rating: 10/10 (27 May 2001)

As you will have probably noted by this its one of those movies not many people think is okay. There are those who love it and those who want to scream their heads off about how much they hate it. So the only way to find out which one you are is to see it. My biggest problem is with the people who seem to abhor it not because I liked it, even though I did, but because their excuses for not liking it are tired. One comment was that there was not one historical fact in the film, while in fact I can name a couple off the top of my head, i.e. Doris Miller, Doolittle Raid. Another thing that bothered me was how intelligent everyone was trying to sound by finally being able to use the word jingoism. For those who didn't like this movie because there was too much patriotism do yourself a favor find a WWII veteran and talk to him. I am sure you will find out how much we Americans have become shallow little creatures because the people of that era did actually give a damn about something other than themselves. There were only a few but some negative comments on the portrayal of the Japanese. This was one of my favorite things about this, movie although it could have used more screen time. The Admiral comes off as a man doing what his country needs, but has compassion for those he is going to kill and the letter the zero pilot writes just gives a glimpse of the other sides turmoil. If this hadn't been in the film I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much. Cuba Gooding's character is another that is either hated or loved. I would have liked to see more of him, but not at the expense of cutting something else.
Now for the big one people's complaints about history. I hate to be the one to take you from your nice little bubble where everything is perfect, but the truth is history is bent. It is not written with in perfection. It is jotted down by a human that wants to talk about his favorite parts. Proof of this is in a book I got on Charlemagne, which was very good except the author decided to leave out the day he had twenty thousand people slaughtered. There aren't many history books written about after Pearl Harbor America set up concentration camps for all Asian Americans, although German and Italian Americans were allowed to live in America like they always had. It is very hard to find a book on how at the end of WWII America brought Nazi scientists that had part of the holocaust here to continue their horrifying human experiments, sound a little fishy to you well go find out how we created the nerve gas tabun, it was our Nazi scientists. But the big thing to remember is this is a movie. No one pays lots of money to see a documentary. As much as you might like to think the studios are there to make art the truth it's a business and they are not going to back something that does not have a chance at making it's money back.
Some little notes to add are so many complained of it being cliché. Everything has been done already if you think you have a new idea I am sorry but someone else thought it a long time ago. Cliché just means if people liked it so lets do it again. And we do like it because if we didn't there wouldn't be anyone to buy books or see movies. For those of you who are so above doing something that is cliché guess what that is a cliché in it self.
Far too many people said this film was too long. They say to cut the romance and just leave the blowing up stuff. I am not going to comment on the stupidity of our culture and it's downward spiral into incessent babbling. Heck I was happy to feel I got my seven bucks worth after a long line of 80-minute movies. We are coming to the end I swear, but I had to add these couple of things. In one comment while bashing Pearl Harbor it was comparing it to other great films Saving Private Ryan, Braveheart, and Air Force OneWhat is Air Force One doing on the same level as Ryan and Braveheart. And I laughed heartily when I read a comment stating it had `bad dialogue'. As for reasons I am going to see it again. It is an epic. I like the characters. I love the setting. I love the story. But that doesn't mean you will.