Why do people hate Pearl Harbor so much??

[SkyNet]

i watched this movie the other day (The R rated cut on the 4 disk Vista Series DVD) it hadnt been a while since i saw it, and as i was watching i was just wondering why this movie got shit on so badly??

Sure it has its flaws, but i mean the Action/ Battle scenes are so fucking awesome. And the story was pretty nice.

Just something i was wondering, cuz i really like this flick, and was wondering why it got such a bad wrap!

It was written by Randall Wallace who also wrote Braveheart and We Were Soldiers.

[badberry]

The movie would be pretty good if it weren't for all the sappy romance scenes in it. The dialogue and acting are also pretty bad in parts. Plus, it goes on way longer than it has to....the Dolittle raid seems really anticlimactic after the Pearl Harbour attack.

But yeah, the actual attack sequence is quite well done.

[Nate6]

Oh but it's so awful. Terrible acting (note to Alec Baldwin: you should be a janitor!), overdone, overcooked soap-opera plot, about an hour and a half too long, pointless, historically inaccurate (Roosevelt standing up without his leg braces? Right. Soccer-player haircuts in 1941? Sure.), and it spends precious little time on the actual attack, which is the only excellent thing about it, in my mind.

A movie with so much potential...that completely fails. 3/10.

[BorderEevilIII]

The action was there but the PACING got drowned HEAVILY w/ the romance triangle between Affleck, Hartnett & Beckinsale.
I should be ranting WHY there was not enough locals meaning HAWAIIANS being that it take place on Oahu in 1941...:confused: :mad:

[Nate6]

Originally posted by BorderEevilIII
I should be ranting WHY there was not enough locals meaning HAWAIIANS being that it take place on Oahu in 1941...:confused: :mad:

That's a good point, actually, which really entered my mind as the Japanese planes flew over the island. All of the people observing the planes were Caucasian. I don't remember seeing a single person of Native Hawaiian descent in the whole movie.

[BorderEevilIII]

Originally posted by Nate6
That's a good point, actually, which really entered my mind as the Japanese planes flew over the island. All of the people observing the planes were Caucasian. I don't remember seeing a single person of Native Hawaiian descent in the whole movie.

Actual locals or looked like seen = 2 :mad:

[Arathon]

I liked the film (7/10) and I like Michael Bay's entertaining blockbuster films. But he and Jerry Bruckheimer should've concentrated more on the lead up to the attacks and the americans trying to unravel the mystery and the Japanese setting up the big attack, kinda like TORA TORA. Or to just concentrate on these two best friends. I think Michael Bay hoped for it to be a big oscar contender, and aimed to get the success of James Cameron and his film Titanic. But then Bay put in the cheesy and unneeded love story, and the dolittle raid. The battle scenes are awesome, no doubt about that, but this film could've been a lot better and tighter. This film could've shown the world that Michael Bay was not only a action/blockbuster director, but one that knew had to handle a story, giving us a compelling film, and showing us the grief and loss surrounding the Pearl Harbour attack. I watched the film and I didn't feel any of that. I just kept thinking how much better the film could've been.

[urbanlegend23]

I didn't hate it all. I enjoyed it for the action, it had good performances and some nicely constructed sequences. The romance was very corny at times but other than some of the AWFUL one-liners it didn't bother me too much.

I've never thought Randall Wallace was the greatest screenwriter though. Braveheart is SO DAMN OVERRATED.

[Scarface98.9]

I've seen the battle scene, twice, without needing to see the movie, and still thought it was bad. After that, I have no motivation to see the rest of the movie ever again

[idealdiscountdude]

Because it SUCKS DONKEY BALLS ......

I know that the film did have some passionate followers here on the boards (the excommunicated dh1989, Mike, and diacaprio_travolta_man...to name a few), but I hated, hated, hated this film.

I hated it because in theory it should have been a fantastic film....but hence it was not.

The only thing that saves it from being a total failure is the awesome battle sequences. That is it.....

The acting was horrendous, the chemistry between Affleck/Beckinsale/Hartnett was non-existent, Cuba "Radio" Gooding Jr. was in it, characters were not developed, their were huge gaping holes in logic (Yes Ben, of course you can take a train from NY to London....:D ), the dialogue made me cringe, and above all, the entire plot surrounding the events of Pearl Harbor (the poor mans Titanic love story) did not work and could not work IMO in this particular case.

A horrendously, horrid, gut-wrenchingly putrid waste of celluloid....I would love to give it an F....but that would be an insult to the visual effects people who did a superb job.

D-

[Ripper1888]

It gets a bad rap because it deserves it,the movie is crap which shouldn't be to suprising considering the people involved Michael Bay is the director and he's one of the worst working today the cast is a joke this is one horribly acted movie,I'm not one for love stories and the one in this is one of the worst I've seen.The characters are bland so theres no reason to care who lives or dies,the movie is a good hour and a half to long.

This is just flat out one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

[dannywalker17]

I'm with you SkyNet. I don't have time to go into detail, but I have always defended this film. In fact I joined the boards to defend it. I like the romantic storyline, the acting is decent to excellent, the excellent battle scene IS a huge part of the movie (about one third of it), and I liked the way the Doolittle raid was used in the story. Even if you don't like the story, the battle scene alone should be enough to make it a decent movie, not the worst of all time. But to each his own.:)

[Tweek]

it's lame!


It was trying to pull a titanic.



instead it made me want to pull my teeth out one by one

[The Engraved]

This movie is a great one. I think the reason they didn't like it because of the romance. Nice action sequence.

[one_crow_sorrow]

The only thing that's really worth watching is the bombing scene.

[Cronos]

i actually liked it, sure ive only seen the last hour but it was fucking awesome and im gonna buy the directors cut when i can find it

i saw some other scenes and it wasnt as bad as i expected

sure the script wasnt very good, but it was entertaining and thats what a films meant to do......entertain

[charliebobo]

Admiral Yamamoto: I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant. :rolleyes:

Danny: I think World War II just started. :rolleyes:

Rafe: Returning from the dead wasn't all that I expected... but that's life :rolleyes:

Rafe: You are so beautiful it hurts.
Evelyn: It's your nose that hurts.
Rafe: I think it's my heart :rolleyes:



I rest my case.

[Fisting Ackbar]

Originally posted by Nate6
Terrible acting (note to Alec Baldwin: you should be a janitor!)

I thought he gave one of the better performances in it.

I know that the film did have some passionate followers here on the boards (the excommunicated dh1989, Mike, and diacaprio_travolta_man...to name a few)

So all of it's supporters got banned? Glad I don't like it or I could be next

Yes Ben, of course you can take a train from NY to London....:D )

Maybe he was taking a train to another city from which he'd be flown out of.

Admiral Yamamoto: I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant. :rolleyes:

Danny: I think World War II just started. :rolleyes:

Rafe: Returning from the dead wasn't all that I expected... but that's life :rolleyes:

Rafe: You are so beautiful it hurts.
Evelyn: It's your nose that hurts.
Rafe: I think it's my heart :rolleyes:



I rest my case.

You forgot: I'm going to give my heart to Danny but I don't think I'll ever look at a sunset without thinking of you :rolleyes:

Oh, and I saw this again recently and while I liked it a little better than the first time I saw it, it was still lame. Mostly due to the atrocious dialogue and the soap opera love story. And of course the awkward scene with FDR trying to stand up :rolleyes:

[thompsoncory]

I loved Pearl Harbor. In fact, it is one of my favorite movies (10/10). I think it is very well done, entertaining, action-packed, romantic, and has some decent acting. I have defended this movie ever since its release when it was bashed by virtually everyone.

[Nate6]

Originally posted by Fisting Ackbar
I thought he gave one of the better performances in it.

Eh? I thought it was terrible over-acting. Oh well, opinions are what they are.

[zeppelin]

Originally posted by Nate6
Oh but it's so awful. Terrible acting (note to Alec Baldwin: you should be a janitor!), overdone, overcooked soap-opera plot, about an hour and a half too long, pointless, historically inaccurate (Roosevelt standing up without his leg braces? Right. Soccer-player haircuts in 1941? Sure.), and it spends precious little time on the actual attack, which is the only excellent thing about it, in my mind.

A movie with so much potential...that completely fails. 3/10.

You have hit the nail on the head, my friend. If you're going to make a movie about such a well-known and historically important tragedy, get a director who knows what he's doing and is not going to dumb it down to get teenage girls to see it. And read a bit more into the actual events, will ya?

[dillhead005]

Because its a horribly boring movie. People are starving in Chad and Michael Bay is still allowed to make movies ;). But really folks, the film is slow, stupid, and any action comes far to late. It just was NOT up to par!

[esrefb]

Because it's a boring, incorrect and lame movie.

Just 3 words:

Tora, Tora, Tora!

[Fisting Ackbar]

Originally posted by Nate6
Eh? I thought it was terrible over-acting. Oh well, opinions are what they are.

I could see where you're coming from, but he had an edge to him like he had in GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS and THE COOLER, which made him stand out over the other actors IMO.

Just 3 words:

Tora, Tora, Tora!

I have yet to see that, but I'm sure that's it's a better movie

[Squid Vicious]

Why do I hate Pearl Harbor so much?

Two names: Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer.

[flowrchild]

What do you get when you throw together a hack director, pretty people who can't act, racial stereotypes, horrible dialogue, contrived cliche love triangles, failed attempts at tear jerking, and a sorry excuse at creating an epic?

Pearl Harbor, ladies and gentlemen.

Blech.

[blankpage]

Originally posted by charliebobo

Rafe: You are so beautiful it hurts.
Evelyn: It's your nose that hurts.
Rafe: I think it's my heart :rolleyes:



I rest my case.


ME: This is so sappy it hurts.
FRIEND: It's your head that hurts.
ME: I think you're right.

[SkyNet]

i just have a question for all the haters here:

Was it the anticipation of this movie that ruined it for you... or was it a generally bad movie w/ 150% NO redeeming qualities??

In that i mean.... this was built up to be one of the best movies of all time... did you go in the theater expecting it to be just that... and came out disappointed that it wasnt... so in your opinion it sucked because it didnt live up to expectation??

Also how many here have seen the R rated cut?

[Scarface98.9]

Originally posted by SkyNet


Was it the anticipation of this movie that ruined it for you... or was it a generally bad movie w/ 150% NO redeeming qualities??

In that i mean.... this was built up to be one of the best movies of all time... did you go in the theater expecting it to be just that... and came out disappointed that it wasnt... so in your opinion it sucked because it didnt live up to expectation??

Also how many here have seen the R rated cut?
Nope. On the contrary, I always predicated that the movie would suck. The trailers never convinced me that it'd be great, especially with the Bay/Afflect connection, and just the overall feeling that it'd be notably crappy. So I didn't go in with any anticipation that it'd be great.

I saw the R rated cut only, and still didn't like it.

[Fisting Ackbar]

Originally posted by SkyNet
Also how many here have seen the R rated cut?

I haven't, and while I'm sure I'll like it better than the theatrical version due to the added violence, I don't feel like spending the money to rent it.

[Indy in IN]

Originally posted by SkyNet
Also how many here have seen the R rated cut?

I have. The added carnage seems really out of place. Didn't like it as much as the PG-13.

As a entertaining movie, I liked it. The problem is, they were not very sensitive about the actual events. People are like " Wow, the bombing was cool. " That's not the way you want to look at a national tragedy. See Saving Private Ryan for this done properly.

Can you imagine a movie based on Sept. 11th and the World Trade Center falling and poeple saying how cool it was. I don't think so.

[randythetool]

Making a tragic incident into something exhilarating is bad.

This is one of the myriad problems of the film.

[Heavenley]

I loved this film, it had a bit of everything, drama, romance, and war. Though it wasn't an accurate account of Pearl Harbor of course......it was extremely enjoyable and just a nice made up story around the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

9/10

[Buck Turgidson]

Originally posted by SkyNet
i watched this movie the other day (The R rated cut on the 4 disk Vista Series DVD) it hadnt been a while since i saw it, and as i was watching i was just wondering why this movie got shit on so badly??


It was written by Randall Wallace who also wrote Braveheart and We Were Soldiers.

Think you answered your own question right there.



It's crummy, but if you go in knowing that, and knowing just how heinous the dialogue is, it can still be enjoyable.

It's a superb technical achivement, the battle scenes (and I mean the Affleck-in-a-Spitfire stuff just as much as the attack) are amazing.

And Kate and Jennifer wear nurse's uniforms :cool:

[APzombie]

The tragic event deserved more....

[Jim H]

Originally posted by SkyNet
i watched this movie the other day (The R rated cut on the 4 disk Vista Series DVD) it hadnt been a while since i saw it, and as i was watching i was just wondering why this movie got shit on so badly??

Sure it has its flaws, but i mean the Action/ Battle scenes are so fucking awesome. And the story was pretty nice.

Just something i was wondering, cuz i really like this flick, and was wondering why it got such a bad wrap!

It was written by Randall Wallace who also wrote Braveheart and We Were Soldiers.

You summed it up. It has competent battle scenes, but the rest of the movie sucks.

[gyro_44]

Originally posted by randythetool
Making a tragic incident into something exhilarating is bad.

This is one of the myriad problems of the film.
Excellent point. What does it say about this film when the one thing I can take away from it is that the attack sequence was awesome, from a technical standpoint? Isn't it supposed to be horrifying?

The romance in this film is one of the worst I have ever seen. And there are two of them. Astonishing drivel.

[Jon Lyrik]

Because it's an awful movie. They turned an tragic event and turned into a cross of a cheesy love story and an offensively dumbed-down action movie.

I'm not against love stories, I liked Titanic, but did they have to have to make one so badly written and trite? Josh Hartnett and Ben Affleck...RED FLAG, RED FLAG!!! They are so awful I half-expected their costumes to run away screaming.

And why did they half to make the war scenes like this was a typical bombastic action movie? It felt very insulting, and many WWII veterans probably had heart attacks watching how they were portrayed here.

[robk]

Originally posted by Jon Lyrik
Because it's an awful movie. They turned an tragic event and turned into a cross of a cheesy love story and an offensively dumbed-down action movie.

I'm not against love stories, I liked Titanic, but did they have to have to make one so badly written and trite? Josh Hartnett and Ben Affleck...RED FLAG, RED FLAG!!! They are so awful I half-expected their costumes to run away screaming.

And why did they half to make the war scenes like this was a typical bombastic action movie? It felt very insulting, and many WWII veterans probably had heart attacks watching how they were portrayed here.

I couldn't agree more.
This film was a pathetic attempt to grab the audiences for both Titanic & Saving Private Ryan only with talentless actors for the leads.

[The Limey]

Why do I hate Pearl Harbor so much?

Two names: Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer.


What do you get when you throw together a hack director, pretty people who can't act, racial stereotypes, horrible dialogue, contrived cliche love triangles, failed attempts at tear jerking, and a sorry excuse at creating an epic?

Pearl Harbor, ladies and gentlemen.

Blech.


Squid Vicious and Flowerchild do a good job of summing up my feelings.

But more than Pearl Harbor I also hate movies like Gone in 60 Seconds, Armageddon, Bad Boys I and II, Independence Day, Fast and the Furious, Charlies Angels, and XXX.

I've never understood why these movies are able to make so much money that they are considered "Blockbusters". The above listed films, lead by the likes of Jerry Bruckheimer and his designated bitch Michael Bay represent the very definition of what I despise most in the Film World. And even with all the disgusting cliche's, dumbfuck lines, moronic stereotypes, and some of the worst acting ever seen in film history these movies are lauded by most as good/great films. I mean Pearl Harbor, I believe, recieved some Razzie Prizes but it made almost $200 Million at the Box Office and is rated 55th in the 100 highest grossing movies of all time.

I've given this alot of thought lately, once upon a time I chalked up the fact that these movies did so well to a simple lack of intelligence among the majority of filmgoers because if there's anything that the cliche's, stereotypes, and scene chewing I see in these movies do is insult my intelligence. When I see Will Smith doing his lame stereotyped comedic black man schtick and saying "Oh no you DID NOT!" or "OH Hell Naw!" while flying away from a stupid alien my intelligence IS insulted (not to mention my culture). I mean, it's just so fucking lame. I don't know how else to explain it and I can't understand why people find it amusing or good or great, it makes me fucking cringe just thinking about the cheesiness. I consider myself a pretty open minded guy, and as such I really hesitate to rationalize the success and the fact that probably the majority of filmgoers greatly enjoyed these movies as most people just being complete and utter fucking morons (present company excluded of course) but I dunno what else there is.

I dunno... it's a weird world I guess. All I do know is that Bruckhiemer and Bay are the fucking Anti-Christ, and Nicholas Cage and Will Smith are their Go To Guys.

[dillhead005]

People hate it because it sucks. Not only is it slow and only focuses on the battle in the last 20 minutes of the movie. Michael Bay should stop making movies!!

[Nate6]

Originally posted by dillhead005
Michael Bay should stop making movies!!

Exactly!!!

[drdash]

pearl harbor is boring, thier are only 3 good points to it. Cuba Gooding jr, cary-hiroyuki tagawa and mako. The rest was just boring. The worst movie i saw until full frontal.

ciao
drdash