Movie Talks Archives

Posted by: urbanlegend23 at November 24, 2001, 4:02 pm

Topic: Reviews: Pearl Harbor Forum: JoBlo

Pearl Harbour I really liked Pearl Harbour the first time I saw it. I thought it was a very well done and endearing film. About 3 weeks later my opinion hadn’t changed but I thought after reading all the bad reviews and attacks on the love triangle that I might be crazy for enjoying it. So I decided to check it out again, and when I came out I felt exactly the same way. This movie has faults but I thought it was still a great event. I’ll just get the faults out of the way because it’s the good stuff we want to get to. Reviewers and audiences have battered the love-triangle aspect of the movie to death. I didn’t think it was all too bad, it had some interesting ideas and doesn’t always take the easy way out. Even some of the cheesy liners actually helped the chemistry between the characters. However, some of them are way too stupid and melodramatic (“When I’m cold, the one place I can go to and be warm is to think of you” is a perfect example). There are also some very simple flaws that I noticed. In the scene where Danny takes Evelyn in the plane to look over Pearl Harbour at sunset has a couple of stupid little things that kind of annoyed me. They are talking really quietly in a very loud plane and neither of them have headphones on or are wearing belts. I no that with headphones and seatbelts on it may ruin the romantic atmosphere, but it got on my nerves. Now, to the good stuff! The action! The action! The action! The action in this movie is truly amazing. The battle scene at Pearl Harbour is just truly unbelievable and you won’t believe it until you seen it. It includes some of the best special effects I’ll ever have the pleasure of viewing. The combat sequences are all very exciting and filmed well. Michael Bay uses his love of pyrotechnics and things being blown up very well in this movie. The atmosphere of the movie was also excellent. The scene in the hospital when Pearl Harbour is being attacked almost brought tears to my eyes. Those nurses were trying to help everyone and there were so many people coming in with horrible injuries and they just didn’t know what to do. John Schwartzman (director of photography) brings across the chaotic and scary mood of the film across very well in that particular scene. The use of blurry and slow motion was great. Schwartzman also used his skills to a tee in the battle scenes, with one shot I noticed and being especially incredible – the shot where the bomb is dropped and we follow it from the sky right down to the ship. That was just incredible. The acting in the movie was quite good too. Ben Affleck is a good young action hero and I think he has a good future ahead of him. Josh Hartnett brings Danny across as a likeable and sensible guy. MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR SPOILERS!! TURN AWAY NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE BECAUSE THIS WILL RUIN IT FOR YOU! His emotions are great, especially during his death scene. END SPOILER! Kate Beckinsale was also great and probably gave my favourite performance of the movie, coming across like a young Bette Davis or Elizabeth Taylor. Jon Voight was believable and great in his role as President Roosevelt. Cuba Gooding, Jr. did what good he can with his small role. I felt he projected the sensitivity of his true-to-life character very well. Alec Baldwin was very corny and over-the-top in his role. It’s hard not to laugh at the cheesy lines in this movie. Some lines like “I don’t think I can ever look at another sunset without thinking about you” are delivered badly. I’d say the scriptwriter, Randall Wallace is responsible. He has good knowledge of the events he writes about but he has trouble with his corny lines (I noticed this also in the overrated Braveheart). None-the-less, he has written an acceptable script that could’ve had shinier touches in some places. Luckily it doesn’t ruin this patriotic and entertaining marathon completely. B+ [This message has been edited by urbanlegend23 (edited 06-23-2002).]

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