A massive disappointment

Rating: Null/10 (12 August 2001)

This year, when the summer movies rolled around in May, there was one movie that I was dying to see: Pearl Harbor. I have enjoyed the work of Ben Affleck and thought that this movie would be the perfect balance of action and romance. However, I left the theater massively disappointed. I appreciate the attempt that Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer made to create a cross-gender classic for the ages, but the result fell flat. The best thing about the movie was the bombing sequence in the middle. This section captured my attention fully with its raw power and emotional action. It was one of the best action sequences in recent history. The portion of the movie leading up to the bombing was a huge bore. Could the romance between Rafe and Evelyn be more pathetic and moronic? I found myself rolling my eyes when Rafe popped himself in the nose with a champagne cork rather than smiling in pleasure. Because of this movie, I am not as big of a fan as Affleck. He is good in supporting roles, but he does not have the stature to lead a blockbuster. The position of his frown seems to be the range of his emotional acting ability. And what was with the way that he kept wearing his hat cocked to the side? Did he see it on a WWII documentary and thought that it looked cool? I was hugely annoyed by the character of Evelyn, whose emotional strife was poorly played by Kate Beckinsdale. It seemed like she was constantly lying to both of her suitors and trying to play helpless. The only shining performance was of Josh Hartnett, and even his luscious bangs cannot save this movie. Nearing the end of the movie, I was wishing that both Rafe and Danny would crash and burn and that Evelyn wouldn't be able to have either of them.