Never captures a sense of urgency

Rating: 2/10 (28 May 2001)

While I certainly can't fault the special effects or pyrotechnics in the movie, it never seems to capture a sense of urgency. In short, the movie comes across as surreal, unengaging, and the characters remain shallow and undeveloped. The portrayal of americans as bumbling, lascivious drunks and playboys almost makes you want to root for the Japanese, who viewed the attack as a necessity to preserve their way of life, and to keep the Empire from crumbling. During the dogfighting scenes, you find yourself wondering who is shooting at whom, and when a plane finally explodes, you are left with a feeling of indifference. After watching this film, I felt as if I should have done something else for 3 hours, such as perhaps watch two other movies instead.