Warning! Dont watch Pearl Harbor instead of reading your history book as your teacher will probably fail you. But if you love big romances and massive war scenes, this is your ticket. Stars Ben Affleck and Josh Harnett.
This flick is based on actual events - the December 7, 1941 bombing of Hawaii's Pearl Harbor. It's where, during World War II, the American Armed Forces had a lot of their troops and ships stationed. The Japanese bombed it, killing over 3000 officers and civilians. A word of advice - don't watch this movie instead of reading your history book. It's not the most accurate account and your history teacher will probably fail you. But if you're looking for a study break and love big romances and massive war scenes - this is for you.
Capt. Danny Walker, Lt. Col. James Doolittle and Capt. Rafe McCawley
Pearl Harbor is about two best friends named Rafe (played by Ben Affleck) and Danny (played by Josh Hartnett.) They are both fighter pilots. Rafe falls for a nurse named Evelyn (played by Kate Beckinsale) but before the two can really become a couple, he decides to go to England as one of the few American pilots fighting in the war. While Rafe is in England taking on the Nazis, both Danny and Evelyn get shipped to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. It seems like the perfect post - especially for the nurses cuz there are never any patients. And then there's the whole sunshine, surfing and luaus, yeah life is tough.
Kate Beckinsale as Nurse Lt. Evelyn Johnson
Unfortunately paradise is cut short by some bad news... Rafe is dead. Danny and Evelyn are both grief stricken and since they are the only two who really knew Rafe, they spend a lot of time together and... well, you get the picture. It's a typical love story. The surprise being - and it's no surprise - Rafe isn't really dead. Hey it's war, it happens. Before the three can untangle themselves from their love triangle, the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor.
Of course, by then the movie has been running for almost two hours. The problem with this movie is that it tries to be too many things at once. Just when you think it's a great, sweeping love story it tries to be a great, sweeping war epic. Then the next thing you know it's a great, sweeping buddy movie. Then we're back to the war thing. With all this jumping around, Pearl Harbor doesn't manage to be great at anything. It is a good movie and that's just because of the acting. Josh Hartnett is great, he is definitely going to get a lot of exposure from this movie and hopefully we'll see him in lots of other stuff soon. Kate Beckinsale is pretty good too. Ben Affleck- well he's just Ben Affleck but that's not too bad. Alec Baldwin made me laugh - out loud. Not a good thing when it's about death and war but he is just such a drama queen!
And as for historical accuracy, it got all the dates right and the order of events, but it was very pro-American and in a tale like this, I don't think anyone should be portrayed as the sole victim or the sole evil-doer. Pearl Harbor was a tragedy but so was dropping nuclear bombs on Japan. They even failed to mention the "nuclear" part in the movie.
Pearl Harbor Movie Rating: 
Pearl Harbor Movie Poster
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