Pearl Harbor: The Box Office Sensation with Shaky Elements

After randomly selecting another decade drama, I landed on Pearl Harbor, the 3 hour box office success with a very lackluster taste in many critics' mouths. I couldn't watch Pearl Harbor listening to the critics advice, however, and I instead needed to actively look at the film from a media literate lens. After watching the movie, I could see how some people say, "yeah, this sucks". Although I also found very well done elements of Pearl Harbor, the kind that deserve more respect than people give it.

 

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Considering the movie was directed by Michael Bay (Transformers, Armageddon), I was pleasantly surprised when the first scene opened with a couple of little boys flying an airplane. The little boys are later depicted as the main characters, Rafe (Ben Affleck) and Danny (Josh Hartnett). It was a calming and unexpected way to begin a movie about Pearl Harbor, but that is just the thing. This movie seemed to be not so much about replaying the events of Pearl Harbor, but rather creating the typical romance/action story with some history sprinkled on top.
Rafe is a military pilot who falls in love with a Navy nurse named Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale).

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Rafe then volunteers to help the English forces in the war. Rafe's plane is shot down, and everyone close to him assumes that he is dead. Rafe eventually makes his way back to Hawaii where is reunites with his friends, but discovers that Evelyn and his best friend, Danny are in love. The attack on Pearl Harbor then occurs, and Rafe and Danny manage to kill a handful Japanese kamikaze pilots. After having a major dispute, Rafe decides that Evelyn belongs with Danny, and the two men stick together by attacking the Japanese after Pearl Harbor. Both of their planes are shot down, and Danny dies while Rafe survives. In the end, Rafe is once again in a relationship with Evelyn, and they have a son named after Danny.

The film can be very melodramatic at times, filled with kissing close-ups, slow motion effects, revolving shots, whimsical music, and voice overs. In this aspect, the movie feels dated, and perhaps too refined. Many of the refinements of the movie, however, make for very entertaining scenes. The movie builds the suspense of the attack on Pearl Harbor very smoothly, taking full advantage of the Hans Zimmer soundtrack, and even showing a montage of the Japanese planning their mission.

 

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For the first half of the movie, the scenes go back and forth between the American love triangle of Rafe, Evelyn and Danny, and the Japanese preparing to attack.

Something I also didn't expect to find was a bit of humor. Rafe is often very clumsy around Evelyn, which helps to balance the lovesick, mushy dialogue said between Rafe and Evelyn. When Danny and Evelyn fall in love, there is an elaborate beach scene where the two frolic in the water, and I swear to god, you can hear an opera singer in the background. It was moments like these that felt very unfitting and uncomfortable. What kinds of messages should a movie called, Pearl Harbor try to convey? Well, an emphasis on romance is not the first idea that comes to mind.

Needless to say, the charm of the characters provided a little relief from the lack of character development. The main characters were very likable, and of course, the visual effects were top notch.

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Not only the visuals, but the sound quality in the film was absolutely remarkable. If an aspiring filmmaker didn't get much out of the story, she should at least take note on the crisp audio used in the movie. Pearl Harbor took full advantage of digital surround sound, with plane engines flying past my ears, and powerful music adding depth to the war scenes.

Cuba Gooding Jr. was featured in the movie briefly, as a Navy soldier with many job limitations due to the color of his skin. The writers could have transformed Gooding Jr.'s story into a very interesting subplot. Instead, Cuba Gooding Jr. is basically forgotten about, swallowed up in the explosion effects, and romantic gush. Also, Cuba Gooding Jr. was quite relevant in 2001. Could his cameo have just been some cheap trick to get lure more people into the movie theatres?

The movie had it's aesthetic pleasure, and overall falls flat in the emotional category. Sure, there's plenty of emotion, but it seems forced. After all, Rafe and Evelyn started kissing each other the very first day they met. In other words, "that escalated quickly". Pearl Harbor was a great popcorn movie, and was clearly designed for giant box office profits.