Please don't believe the critics

Rating: 6/10 (31 May 2001)

Why there are so many bad reviews for this movie is absoloutely baffling. What I have just got back from watching was an incredibly tender, poignant and brilliantly acted film. I simply can't comprehend the critics. Were we watching completely different movies? Was the UK release dramatically different from the US? I doubt it very much. So why do people refuse to give this movie the respect it deserves?
So what if a few liberties were taken with the actual facts of Pearl Harbor? That's the movie world for you. They're not out to educate people on the finer points of war; if you want that, take a History degree. The film was made to entertain, to inform to a certain point, and to commemorate those who died during this awful tragedy, and on those three levels it scores highly.
Pearl Harbor may not rank up there with the classics, even though it would be a lie to say that it doesn't want to. It has it's flaws; the dialogue is incredibly corny throughout, Ewan Bremmner's pilot with a stutter is in bad taste, and the three main characters aren't really given enough material to develop on.
But if you can look past that, and look into the beautiful love story unfolding with a war horror story, you'll see something truely magical. The three leads are all perfectly cast; Kate Beckinsale is both beautiful and believeable as the woman at the centre of the love triangle, with best friends Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett competing for her love.
Likewise, Ben Affleck gives another great performance as the headstrong, loyal Rafe. He's got both the looks and the acting ability to propell him into A-list status that he's long deserved.
But the real find here is Josh Hartnett. Heart-stoppingly beautiful, and an amazing actor, especially considering his age and past film history, he really captures the emotion as sensitive Danny.
Pearl Harbor deserves much more praise than it's getting. If you think about all the hard work and effort that's gone into it, there's no excuse for not giving it a mark at least over six. It was never going to live up to the hype the media created for it, and there was bound to be a backlash as soon as it was released. But if people for once ignore the critics and skeptics, and go to see this with the same expectations you'd go to see a less-hyped film, I garuntee you won't be disappointed.