1. PEARL HARBOUR: CRITIC & REVIEW
When a film tries to convey a real event, a true story, the truth is that
they will receive a lot of critics. Especially events where people have
lost their lives, the film seems to be symbolic of their memory. This is
why critics and people would say that it has to be an accurate
portrayal. For example, Pearl Harbour – which I have to say I loved,
but the film was definitely subjected to a lot of mixed reviews. Pearl
Harbour was a real event, and a lot of critics found that the director
Michael Bay who also directed the popular Transformers, did not do it
justice. The movie had some historical inaccuracies, and this
aggravated a lot of people. People were furious that Bay changed
things just to make it more entertaining on screen and the film has
been described as purely Hollywood. Kenneth. M Taylor who was a
Pearl Harbour survivor described the film as ‘a piece of trash... over-
sensationalized and distorted.’
Despite this, the film was successful and it was a box office
smash ranking the sixth highest earning picture of 2001, and it
grossed $450 million worldwide. I admit I love this movie, even
though I am disappointed with the inaccuracies of events - it was
the romance that captivated me. Pearl Harbour has many
elements. Yes – it is a true war event, but there is drama, action
and romance. In some aspects, the love triangle between Rafe
(Ben Affleck), Danny (Josh Hartnett) and Evelyn (Kate
Beckinsale) overshadowed the war story, and I think this is one
of the reasons that viewers were dissatisfied. The film industry
today is obsessed with 3-D, CGI and the majority of the films are
about aliens, vampires and fantasy. This is why I think this
movie is a classic, because they do not make films like this
anymore. The actors especially got criticised and some critics
say that the love story and relationships were not believable. I
would have to disagree with this. Pearl Harbour is an emotive
story and despite the inaccuracies it doesn’t’ take away the fact
that many people died, and they died heroes. I think that the
actors were believable, and I have to admit that I cried when
Danny died saving his best friend Rafe. It was an emotional
scene and also a very powerful one. Whatever Josh Hartnett’s
thoughts on this film was, it was this film that put him on the
map and kick started his career. If the film was such a failure,
why did it earn what it did?
Pearl Harbour is a story about two pilots and best friends, Danny and Rafe who join the Army
Air Corps. Evelyn, a Navy nurse, passes Rafe for his physical examination and they have a

2. connection. The two fall in love, until Rafe decides
to volunteer for a mission with the Royal Air
Force (RAF). Whilst on his mission Rafe’s plane is
shot down, and he supposedly is killed in action.
Evelyn and Danny bond over Rafe, and start
falling for each other. Rafe returns back alive, to
tell Evelyn what happened. He finds that Danny
and Evelyn have started a relationship with each
other – hurt by this he and Danny get into a fight
in a local hula bar. They are interrupted the next morning by bombs from the Japanese aircrafts,
which destroy many ships including the USS Arizona and USS Oklahoma. Evelyn takes her
position at the hospital, taking care of the wounded whilst Danny and Rafe fly their aircrafts and
take down seven Japanese aircrafts. Danny and Rafe are both promoted and are assigned to a
top-secret mission. Just before Rafe and Danny are about to leave, Evelyn tells Rafe that she is
pregnant with Danny’s baby and that she will always love Rafe – but she is going to be with
Danny. Danny and Rafe bomb Tokyo but their aircrafts run out of fuel and they crash in
Japanese territory. The Japanese start shooting and amidst all the commotion Danny throws
himself in front of Rafe and is seriously wounded. Rafe tells Danny he is going to be a father, and
Danny replies no – you are. Rafe returns back with Danny’s body, and he and Evelyn bury him.
Rafe is released from the army and he and Evelyn bring up Danny’s child which is named after
him. Rafe then takes his son Danny flying, and they fly off into the sunset.
The film is ultimately 183 minutes of heartbreak, war and romance. Even though the events
featured were not accurate, it is a film definitely worth watching. The film has its moments
where you can feel the sadness and passion of the characters. I think the actors especially Ben
Affleck, Josh Hartnett, and Kate Beckinsale did a great job and you can see that on screen, the
roles they played were captivating and thrilling to watch. Even though it is a serious film, it has
its moments of comedy which is needed but this doesn’t take anything away from the depth of
the storyline. Overall, I enjoyed the movie and I would recommend people watch it.
Rating – 7/10
Written By Arya Chopra
Source : www.aryasmemoirs.tumblr.com