PEARL HARBOR (Theatrical Release USA 2001)

Ben Meyers’ rating: 4.0|5.0 Starsìììì

Pearl Harbor—a tribute to the 60^th anniversary of the World War II Pearl Harbor Attack—received nine Golden Raspberry nominations; however, it was nominated for the Academy Award’s Best Visual Effects and won the MTV Award for its action sequences. While the movie received deplorably negative reviews, it made money at box office. The strength of this film lies in its superb visual effects and action sequences and succeeds as a Ben Meyers recommended watch based on those two factors.

Film Poster Courtesy of Wikipedia

Storyline

The film opens in Tennessee 1923 with a crop duster working the fields. The camera focuses on a barn where two boys, Rafe McCawley (Jesse James) and Danny Walker (Reily McClendon), are playing inside a plane. They accidently power the plane and it takes off with a series of risings and landings until it finally stalls in the middle of a field. When Danny Walker’s father finds what the boys have done, he is not happy and tries to take it out on Danny Walker, but Rafe defends his best friend. These childhood scenes move to World War II where both boys (as men) are enlisted United States Army Air Force pilots and the story is off and running.

Additional Thanks

Thank you to Director Michael Bay for directing efforts. Thank you to Executive Producers Baja, Bruce Hendricks, Chad Oman, Mike Stenson, Barry Waldman, and Randall Wallace for making the film possible. Additional characters/cast members include: Rafe McCawley (Ben Affleck), Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett), Nurse Lieutenant Evelyn Johnson (Kate Beckinsale), Lieutenant Red Winkle (Ewen Bremner), and Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle (Alec Baldwin).

Buy a ticket? Yes? No? Maybe?

Yes. It’s true to the action that viewers have come to expect from Michael Bay films (Transformers, Armageddon). It doesn’t disappoint.

Video Critique Available Here:

Ben Meyers