A Guilty Pleasure--REALLY Guilty! (Minor spoilers)

Rating: 10/10 (25 May 2001)

I had been following this production since I first heard about it for many reasons. Mainly it was because of the spectacle and that I am a fan of war films but also because I was critical of the people behind this production.
I must admit that I am not a fan of Michael Bay--I HATED "Armageddon," which I thought was an incoherent mess of a movie. I was worried that Bay was not mature enough for a film like this, and that he just figured that the formula ("Titanic" + "Saving Private Ryan" = $$$ and OSCARS) guaranteed him recognition and a box office hit.
Much to my surprise, this movie was surprisingly coherent. It also seemed to me that the quick cutting "style" (or enormous flaw) characteristic of Bay was rather absent in this movie, or at least severely lessened. But "Pearl Harbor" is not inspirational or creative filmmaking; it is a standard reliance on what has worked in superior films of similar subjects. Every camera angle, shot, line of dialogue, or stunt in this movie has appeared in a better film already. However, this didn't ruin the movie for me. I have a weakness for movies like this, so I found much to like. I went along with the romance between Rafe and Evelyn, even if I forced myself to, in an idealistic fantasy way. This is also applied to the look, feel and cinematography of the period piece; the movie looks more like it was filmed at a 1940's theme park than actually in the 1940's, but this also helped me lose myself in the romantic fantasy of the film. The dogfights are also spectacular, and the planes probably move faster and maneauver much smoother than WWII era aircraft, thanks to the flawless CGI.
There were moments during PH where the movie would lose my attention--surprisingly enough, this happened quite a few times during the actual attack. The footage is always impressive, but never involving enough to shock or horrify the viewer. This was one of the consequences of Bay's directing, and not the only one (I really dislike his style of montage).
I was really looking forward to the final act, which depicts the Doolittle Raid, however it was rather disappointing. It really seemed as if the production was rapidly running out of money and had to speed through the entire sequence to get it done. As a result, much of the suspense and interesting aspects of the bombing raid are lost on us, and they are much better presented in the classic, "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo."

Other flaws (that I had a problem with): I wish there was more of a "it just happened" feel to Danny and Evelyn. Instead, Danny nervously (and rather guiltlessly) follows Evelyn around and practices pick-up lines on her. Is this an admirable (or believeable) way for him to act around the girlfriend of his presumably dead best friend? Come to think of it, isn't Danny kind of a JERK?; WHY are the Zeroes painted green!? Other Japanese planes in the movie are photographed in silver, so why would the filmmakers, claiming that they are striving for accuracy, paint the legendary and infamous planes incorrectly?; The climax (in occupied China) of the movie comes off as really convenient, yet it ads a great awkwardness to the aftermath and conclusion.
I guess what is most offensive about "Pearl Harbor" is the rush that people will get from watching a bunch of explosions and carnage, when what we are seeing is based on the deaths of over 2000 of our citizens. Michael Bay and even Jerry Bruckheimer may have held intentions to make a respectable movie to honor the veterans (entirely secondary to the big bucks, of course), however in many ways it makes mindless summer fun out of an absolutely horrible, murderous tragedy, and that is what makes me feel guilty about enjoying this movie. Grade: B-/C+