9 on a scale of 10

Rating: 9/10 (7 July 2001)

Pearl Harbor was a visually stunning movie. Fantastic special effects, brilliant colors and wonderful to look at - as most movies set in Hawaii are. But, to imply these qualities are the sole - or even primary - reason to see the movie would be grossly misleading.
First and foremost it is an education about what brought us into WWII and it is told in a way I have never seen and rarely heard. The educational aspect alone was worth the price of admission.
Secondly, and most rewarding, it is the story about a woman and the two men in her life, their relationships, trials and, ultimately, their tragedies. This is a marvelous love story that has several chaotic twists - symbolic of the times. Even their hearts were at the mercy of events far beyond their control.
Lastly, the movie was an awe-inspiring war movie. Bigger than life. Nothing can prepare you for how shocking (even to this day) it is to see American ships lined up like fish in a barrel and knowing that at any moment the lives of everyone there - and the lives of everyone around the world would be changed forever. The sudden and intense level of carnage was visually and emotionally played out on the screen in such a way as to permanently implant it on our minds - much as Saving Private Ryan did with the beach landing.
I can only think of a couple criticisms of the movie and they are fairly minor. One criticism worth mentioning is that they could easily have shaved 30-40 minutes from the 3 hours and still maintained the level of intensity.
Also, the Cuba Gooding character was one of the most extraneous add-ons I have ever seen in a movie. He had nothing to do with the other 90% of the movie we saw. His 10% was in its own world. I don't doubt that the reason it was there was to make sure the message of Pearl Harbor was that there were heroes - white AND black. But, either they should have tied it in better or left it out.
Still, as I say, my criticisms are minor. The story was an epic tale in the scope of the Titanic. Better story, more action, superior acting and a visual masterpiece. Hard to beat. Glad I went.