Pearl Harbor is NOT a Bomb!

Interesting how people's views differ... I have read so many reviews depicting this wonderful film as mediocre (or bad) that I was moved to write this review (my first adult movie review).

Our Impression – 5 Stars, NOT too Violent.
My husband and I saw Pearl Harbor on May 25th and loved it. Ordinarily I am not fond of war movies or excessive use of blood, gore or violence. That said, I agree with my husband’s assessment that Pearl Harbor is worthy of 5-stars. This film is NOT excessively violent; there were no scenes that stand out in my mind as being “hauntingly” gruesome (as I’m told “Saving Private Ryan” was). True, the battle scenes seem to go on for a long time. But let’s face it, the attack at Pearl Harbor lasted a little over 2 hours. With that in mind, I’d say that the movie really did the surprise Japanese attack justice. I do admit at one point I was just watching and wishing the war scenes would just be over… but that isn’t because I was squirming from any particularly gory scenes. Instead, as I’ve mentioned there was very few hard to watch scenes. I was not grossed-out by what I actually saw on screen. Pearl Harbor cleverly left alot to your imagination, even though sometimes your imagination CAN be more impacting. It was difficult to anticipate and see more unsuspecting, innocent young men and women getting attacked. That was what was most difficult to watch and why I was so relieved when the attack finally ended.

I Got More Out of Pearl Harbor than Entertainment.
I’m a little bit ashamed to admit this (being that I’m a very patriotic 36 year old American woman), but coming into this movie I remembered very little about the attack at Pearl Harbor. What this movie did for me was it gave me a sense of what a surprise this attack was, and how utterly unprepared our troops were (mentally as well). It gave me a sense of how calculated the attack at Pearl Harbor was (even in it’s scaled-down, politically correct Hollywood version) on the part of the Japanese. It amazed me how easy it was to spy on the US. It’s made me more interested in what happened; I even watched a 2-hour documentary on the History channel with my husband last night. I watched with interest and regret that I hadn’t paid quite as much attention to the stories I was told in my youth. Being a parent now I feel so bad for all the parents of children and loved ones stationed out in Hawaii at that time. Such a massive death toll, and not knowing if your loved one was among those dead or missing. I think it is fair to say that I got a lot out of this version of Pearl Harbor.

Was Pearl Harbor Realistic?
I think there were a lot of war details that were historically correct. I was lucky enough to have a hair appointment the morning I’d planned to see this movie. While I’m under the hair drier I catch up on the latest issue of People Magazine, which featured the Pearl Harbor movie. I read that they got the idea to use lip stick to write on the wounded soldiers’ heads (signifying who would be admitted to the over crowded hospital) and who given pain medicine and left to die from actual military notes. I also read about the coke bottles being used when they needed containers for blood was also something that was done during the attack.

The Acting & The Love Story.
I’ve heard a lot of criticism of the love story that was depicted in Pearl Harbor. While it is true that this love story was not based on real people or love, I feel the need to defend this love story. My husband and I both enjoyed the relationships that were developed in Pearl Harbor. The love story and the relationship between the two best friends (I am not going to ruin it for you) were interesting and enjoyable to watch. These stories drew me in and made me care about several of the characters. Caring for the characters helped magnify the tragedy of the attack (I was worried and scared for those characters I grew to know and care for). I know, I’d only known the characters for a short time before the attack, but we are talking about Ben Affleck, who so reminds me of my husband with his dark good looks. My husband and I enjoyed the character development; did NOT find it drawn out or sappy. The acting was great and every single character in this movie was believable.

The main characters (Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, and Kate Beckinsale) earned any award they are nominated for. And a special note: Alec Baldwin as Colonel James Doolittle was superb. Baldwin’s role definitely added to the legitimacy of this movie. We were also pleasantly surprised to find Dan Aykroyd in a serious role in this movie (I can’t remember the name of his part); He also did a wonderful job. Again, I don’t want to spoil the movie for you, so I am not going to describe the story. My husband and I found this love story MUCH more believable than the one portrayed in Titanic; the dialog was better here too.

The Cinematography is Worth Noting
The first thing that captured our interest was the superior camera work taken in this movie. Watching Pearl Harbor is a feast for your eyes. The beginning of the movie (when the friendship of main characters Rafe & Danny is established) is really delightful (except for one short scene). Even if you decide you do not enjoy Pearl Harbor, I firmly believe you will agree it was worth watching the camera work accomplished here. I also want to mention that the theater we saw Pearl Harbor in had Dolby Digital sound that was just the best sound I have ever heard in a movie theater. If you have a choice, travel to the theater that has Dolby Digital. Everything seemed to be right there in the room with us.

Conclusion
In my opinion, this was not a glorification of war. It is a well done, respectful depiction of what occurred that fateful day in Dec 1941. I think the PG-13 rating might not be appropriate (an R would be a better warning to parents). I do not recommend that children younger than junior high school level be taken to this film. There was no nudity, and very little foul language, but war is war and this one seems realistic. If your child is sensitive or is prone to nightmares, I would also reconsider taking them until you have seen it and can judge more accurately whether they will be able to handle it.

Pearl Harbor is approximately 3 hours long; Just another thing to consider.