I am honestly shocked at how bad a film Pearl Harbor is. I have found entertainment value in all three of Bay s other films. I m no Armageddon fan, but there was some stuff there that audiences could grab onto. I liked The Rock. And Bad Boys was overstuffed visually, but Bay allowed Smith and Lawrence to roll and it worked despite its flaws.
Pearl Harbor represents everything that is wrong about Bay s work.
Sure, it s not cut as quick as Armageddon. But you know, I wasn t expecting Bay to keep challenging the cut speed record. His visual skills are real and I m sure that in retrospect, there are too many cuts in that film even for him. I m not holding that against him. It s not unfair to point out that it s only his fourth film.