Lack of history, action
causes movie to bomb
By
Morgan Conklin
Summer Reporter
If you want to see "Pearl Harbor" in hopes of
learning about the actual attack, then it would be a good idea to
save yourself the $7 and stay home to watch the History Channel. If
you want to see the movie because Ben Affleck is in it, you won’t
be let down.
In all, this was an action movie that had an
emphasis on romance. If you like gory fighting scenes then you will
be disappointed. Though they showed some blood and battle, the PG-13
rating limited what Disney’s Touchstone Pictures could do.
However, if you like pointless, no thinking necessary
romance stories then this is the movie for you.
The movie takes place from the year before the
bombing of Pearl Harbor to the year after the attack.
Only about 40 minutes of this, dragged on, three-hour
movie involved the actual bombing. The rest consisted of a cheesy
love story.
Rafe McCawley (Affleck) and his best friend Danny
Walker (Josh Hartnett) grow up aspiring to be fighter pilots. They
complete training together and are certified for war.
While receiving mandatory shots, Rafe falls in
love with a Navy nurse, Evelyn Johnson (Kate Beckinsale); however,
he volunteered to fight in Europe and left Evelyn heart broken.
While overseas, Rafe is shot down from his plane
and presumed dead.
Evelyn and Danny, who are now stationed at Pearl
Harbor, hear that Rafe is dead - you can use your imagination to predict
what happens next.
Three months later, and the day before the Japanese
attack, an unexpected visitor surprises Evelyn. Just another one of
the predictable twists that the movie entails.
Finally, the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor. For
a good half-hour, the movie had me so involved that I stopped looking
at my watch every five minutes to see what time it was.
The special effects simulated "Armageddon" and
"Titanic," portraying the attack to the furthest extent that a PG-13
movie could. One thing the movie had going for it was the use of loud
noises to make the audience feel like they were almost a part of the
bombing.
After the attack, the United States seeks revenge
on the Japanese. With Rafe and Danny heading the other fighters, they
go to Japan in what appears to be a suicide mission.
The end is almost as predictable as the rest
of the movie. I knew how "Pearl Harbor" would end about 45 minutes
before it actually did.
In all, I would recommend seeing the movie after
it comes out on video so you can fast forward through all the parts
that render complete uselessness to the plot of the story.
