I admit it could have been better but i found it mostly enjoyable

Rating: 8/10 (10 September 2003)

My Rating: *** out of ****.
Pearl Harbor had the makings for a great movie, but it failed along those lines. The movie was mostly enjoyable, but I think it was meant to better than that. Pearl Harbor succeeds in a few areas but falls short in others. I found it better than Titanic, I will probably be in the minority on that one.
The acting is a mixed bag. I think Josh Hartnett is actually good here. Kate Beckinsale is also good here, she and Hartnett have some chemistry that make them believable as a couple. Ben Affleck is downright horrible, he has no chemistry with either Beckinsale or Hartnett. Alec Baldwin is actually the best as Colonel Jimmy Dolittle. Cuba Gooding was just put in this story for star power, he doesnt have enough screentime. Jon Voight is decent as Roosevelt.
Michael Bay was the wrong choice for directing this movie. Bay is not an accomplished enough director do something like this, hes made entertaining action movies and thats what Pearl Harbor is, but Bay would never be able to make this into a "serious" movie. He uses a slow motion technique that is really unnecessary and kind of distracting.
Pearl Harbor may have some problems in the acting and the director is totally wrong but its real problem lies in the script and editing. I feel that there are scenes between Beckinsale and Affleck that are unnecessary or too long, because these two have absolutely no chemistry together that it makes there scenes seem very uninteresting. Yes I will also admit the movie is about 20 minutes too long. Now we come to the script, which has some very bad dialogue. Some of this stuff is real sappy s***. Its obvious that the screenwriter has as much talent for writing a lovestory as George Lucas did 1 year later with Episode II. Pearl Harbor would have been more successful with a better script.
The real strength of Pearl Harbor is in the technical categories. The Attack Scene is one of the most impressive battle scenes I have seen in my life. For 35 minutes you will take a journey back to Hawaii 1941. The movie also has beautiful sets, cinematography and costumes. The movie contains excellent sound too.
Pearl Harbor is a bit of a disappointment but I still found enjoyable.