Bad Script, Great Action

Rating: 5/10 (24 June 2001)

The script for Pearl Harbor is bad. Really bad. The characters' dialogue barely comes close to believable, speaking mostly in cliche and soundbites. The plot is full of every war movie plot device you've probably seen before (since this movie is about a subject that has been covered many times before, that's almost excusable). The only characters worth caring about were the lame secondary ones, and the love story is totally worthless.
But, as an action movie, "Pearl Harbor" delivers breathtaking sequences that will keep your eyes glued to the screen. The attack on Pearl Harbor itself was quite exciting. Michael Bay's break-neck directing style works better on these scenes than on the rest of the film. Overall, "Pearl Harbor" wasn't a total waste of time (although it could've stood to be an hour shorter). It was no "Tora Tora Tora," but not too bad a movie.