Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor, true to its title, details the buildup to and fallout from the Japanese attack on the infamous Hawaiian military base in 1942, with the movie specifically detailing the wartime exploits of two childhood friends (Ben Affleck’s Rafe and Josh Hartnett’s Danny) and their eventual love for the same woman (Kate Beckinsale’s Evelyn). It’s interesting to note that, at the very least, Pearl Harbor remains tolerable for much of its undeniably overlong runtime (184 minutes!), as filmmaker Michael Bay has infused the proceedings with an appropriately old-school, sweeping sensibility that suits the less-than-subtle material well – although it remains abundantly clear throughout that is hampered by Bay’s typically excessive approach. The director, working from a script by Randall Wallace, goes for broke in virtually every scene within the proceedings, with the progressively exhausting atmosphere ensuring that the viewer’s interest dwindles steadily as time goes on. And although the attack on the title locale is admittedly quite thrilling, Bay’s aggressive modus operandi prevents even this stretch from making the powerful impact that he’s obviously intended (ie it goes on so long that it simply wears out its welcome). The various machinations employed to keep the love triangle afloat grow more and more tiresome as well, to be sure, and it certainly doesn’t help that Hartnett’s stiff performance precludes him from establishing any real chemistry with Beckinsale’s affable character. By the time the passable yet (surprise, surprise) overlong Dolittle-raid third act rolls around, Pearl Harbor lives up to its reputation as a typically bloated Michael Bay production that squanders its few positive attributes over the course of a ludicrously padded-out running time (ie this thing could and should have topped out at two hours).

** out of ****