I'd be offended if I were a veteran

Rating: Null/10 (22 June 2001)

This movie turned to seriousness of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor into one big joke. The movie wasn't about Pearl Harbor at all, it was a dopey, cliche love story SET IN Pearl Harbor. I was expecting to see a gripping war story and instead saw a three hour melodrama with a very expensive fireworks display thrown in. I did enjoy watching the special effects, but that alone can't make a movie good.
I think that the standard for the current generation of WWII movies should definitely be "Saving Private Ryan." That was an excellent movie. The opening sequence was unbelievable, and it set the tone for the entire film. They didn't taint the storyline by throwing in a stupid love plot to sell tickets to 16 year olds, this movie was deadly serious. Then came "Enemy at the Gates." Not bad, unfortunately there was a love sub plot, but it was just that, a sub plot. Then comes Pearl Harbor, where the (factual) battle is the sub-plot, and the true focus is this absolutely dopey (fictitious) love story.
SORT-OF SPOILER ahead, but it was shown in the trailer on tv:
Like I said, I did like the battle sequence, but even that got silly fast. First off, I expected more from Cuba Gooding Jr's role. His role was basically a cameo, an afterthought. All he did was appear for about five minutes, just enough to gain the audience's approval, and then assume the role of hero as he shoots a plane down from his sinking ship. He was there for the sole purpose of putting him in the trailers to sell more tickets.
SPOILERS AHEAD:
Secondly, they had to portray Ben Affleck and his best friend as superheroes, the only two pilots who could cause any damage at all to the Japanese. They make it to a nearby airfield, and there's only a few planes that are ready to fly, how 'bout that? It gets better. Then, the first guy (a nameless pilot) gets into a plane, tries to take off, and gets shot to pieces on his takeoff roll. Of course! We can't have some schmoe cramping Ben Affleck's style, right? Next, our heroes mount their steeds, and wow! They made it off the ground to fight the Zeroes! Then the Japanese pilots instantly go brain dead, and Ben and company start picking them off as if they were shooting at hang gliders. And then it gets even better! Ben and his friend each have three zeroes on their tail, and they can't shake them! Oh no! So what do they do? They pull the same whacky hi-jinx that they did at the beginning of the film, and play chicken! Ben and his friend come barreling toward each other, all the while the enemy fighters are courteous enough not to fire a single shot at them, and at the last possible second, our heroes turn away from each other and the zeroes are all destroyed in a massive midair pile-up! At this point, I literally covered my mouth and began to laugh uncontrollably. It was contagious, as my girlfriend saw me and she, too started to laugh. That dogfight scene was so silly, I was beside myself. If that film had even the slightest shred of seriousness in it, at that point it went down in flames along with the six zeroes that crashed into each other. The only thing I could think of was, "C'mon Luke, it'll be just like Beggar's Canyon back at home!" (a "Star Wars" quote for those of you who don't recognize it)
OK, YOU CAN LOOK AGAIN, END OF SPOILERS.
So to sum up, I'd say rent the film on video or DVD, fast-forward till the battle scene, watch that part, and return it. This movie made a mockery of Pearl Harbor, it used that terrible attack as nothing more than a backdrop for a ridiculous love story and an excuse to spend millions of dollars on special effects. If you want to see the REAL Pearl Harbor movie, it's at most video stores. It's called, "Tora! Tora! Tora!"