But despite all the advance press and the lavish premiere held in Hawaii, this movie will not alter the course of world history. If it goes boom, they believe, it should be done twice. Overdirected contrivances Bay's attention to detail is legendary.
Nobody can make bombs bursting in air as visually spectacular.
But that tendency to overdirect is a liability when it comes to the emotional elements in the film. Newcomer Josh Hartnett portrays Danny Walker, Rafe's fellow pilot and inseparable childhood friend who grew up with him on an adjacent farm in Tennessee. British actress Kate Beckinsale plays Evelyn Johnson, a beautiful nurse with whom Rafe falls in love during his induction into the military. After Rafe is presumed killed in battle after volunteering in Great Britain, he suddenly shows up in Hawaii to join Evelyn and Danny on the eve of the Japanese attack. Their reunion is a rocky one, but suddenly nothing else matters as they all fight for their lives on that fateful morning in paradise.