Pearl Harbor

Nobody ever accuses Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer of fleshing out credible characters. They're at the point in their careers that actually creating believable characters would be totally unexpected. However, everybody accuses them of being shameless exhibitionists. They know their movies will be hated by critics but loved by audiences. They've done it once again with Pearl Harbor, a film that makes no secret of its efforts to appeal to each and every person in the audience. Because they are successful in their primary quest, Pearl Harbor is going to be huge. Huge.

Pearl Harbor has an incredible range of highs and lows. The lows, of which there are more than the highs, are notable because they pertain to the most important element in making quality movies: characters. The love triangle established early in the film is hardly believable and more often than not is just plain exasperating. I wasn't particularly intrigued by any of the characters besides President Roosevelt (Jon Voigt), and he's in it very rarely. Rafe (Affleck), Danny (Hartnett), and Evelyn (Beckinsale) provide the three pronged complication. Yet, because none of them provides an endearing performance, what's supposed to cause emotional suffering never really connects.

In addition, Bay tries too hard to have us identify with them. Bay, while a technical master, could use some lessons in emotional restraint. Several tons of sentimentality are heaped upon the viewer. It's hard not to feel like you're being bludgeoned by efforts to provoke tears. Even though this didn't necessarily work for me, typical audiences will eat it up. This emotion is one of the reasons Pearl Harbor is going to be a monster hit.

Enough of the lowlights. Pearl Harbor was actually a somewhat enjoyable experience for me. How can I say that after practically destroying the most important part of the movie that, in actuality, takes up more than two-thirds of the running time? I went into the theater expecting characters that were plastic, acting that left something to be desired, and acting that would make me incredulous. At the same time, however, I expected to be blown away by the action, most notably during the film's centerpiece: the bombing.

Blown away, I most definitely was, by what is perhaps the greatest action sequence ever commited to film. Helping this extraordinary scene is the fact that is lasts so long. The bombing sequence and the individual heroism afterwards takes about 35-40 minutes to complete. The tense music, the explosions, and the distressed camera work never ceases for a pulse. It is relentless and it works. I can't comprehend the preparation involved in filming such a magnificent section of film. The shear size is awesome to behold. This is exactly the type of scene that I envision Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer working on, and it's their best work yet.

They're helped by perhaps the best special effects work ever done. Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) has surpassed themselves with their incredible work. Unbelievably realistic, the special effects make the bombing scene increasingly awe-inspiring as the progression continues. In addition, the sound work is fantastic. On more than one occasion I felt my chair shaking with the bass of the bombs. The directional use is also noteworthy, as you can hear the bullets streaming from the sides.

While not achieving even close to as much emotional success as its closest cinematic companion, Titanic, Pearl Harbor is a technically great motion picture. Its woefully inconsistent and often downright maddening but Pearl Harbor is far from one of the worst films of the year as many are claiming. Because of its extended bombing sequence, Pearl Harbor ranks as a must see film. Exactly how much you'll enjoy the other two hours and twenty minutes remains to be seen, but I can guarantee you that the bombing will put you on the floor. It's that incredible folks. And look at it this way, you'll eventually forget about everything else in the film except that glorious scene. That's a good thing isn't it? Isn't it? (No.)

On a scale of 1 to 10 sinking Arizonas : 5