An Overview of The Movie Pearl Harbor by Michael Bay

Pearl Harbor is a film detailing the events of the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese triggering the United States’ involvement in World War Two. This film follows closely two navy pilots, starred by Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett, before and during the attack and shortly into the war that ensued. Pearl Harbor was directed by Michael Bay and released in 2001. The attack on Pearl Harbor was, as President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “… a day that will live in infamy”. The events that followed Pearl Harbor changed our nation forever. Could Hollywood really capture that story and that impact on a motion film produced fifty years later?

Let us begin with a later generation’s first impression of the film. Two top critics reviewed the movie shortly after its release in 2001. New York Times’ Peter Rainer gave a rather approving rating and review saying “Pearl Harbor aspires to Titanic-size sentiment and war-is-hell realism but sacrifices both to an arsenal of bombastic special affects” (Rainer). He goes on to say that “Pearl Harbor is a stunningly numbing experience” (Rainer). Rainer focuses more on the effects and the movies impact visually however he does approve of the story and liked the movie very much. The other critic is the Washington Post’s Stephen Hunter. Stephen’s first impression of the movie is “Pearl Harbor revives ‘40s war movie. Moves to evoke the day of infamy” (Hunter). Hunter focuses more on the story and is very approving.

Michael Bay puts forth his best effort to depict the events that occurred on the day that will live in infamy when Japan surprise attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii which sparked the United States’ involvement in World War Two. Michael uses stunning visual effects and millions upon millions of dollars to recreate the scenes so horrifically created fifty years ago. In my opinion the story was depicted to the best of any film makers’ ability and both Rainer and Hunter agree in their reviews that the story couldn’t have been shown better. Michael really brings the experience to the viewers.

Michael recreates many scenes based off of document fact such as the initial attack time, amount of ships, and response time of stationed forces, public’s reaction, and so much more. One of my favorite, and probably more historically accurate scenes, was just the first scene of the attack. How the Japanese had flown so early that people on the ground thought it were US test flights and the radar readers thought they were birds. The real impact of the situation didn’t take effect until the bombs began to fall and it was a mad dash by sailors, pilots, doctors, etc. to get ready. Michael also threw in scenes that he created himself to help tell the story of the lives of the pilots outside of the fighting. I believe these scenes help him tell the whole story of what was happening at the time.

Michaels point of view during the movie, that of the two pilots, is very accurate. Most of what Michael shows is simply the bigger points of the attack with the exception of a dog fight or two that the pilots are involved in. these point that Michael depicts, after doing some research, can easily be proven as factual. I believe all of the scenes in the movie with the exception of scenes depicting the private lives of the pilots; help make the movie more accurate.

The biggest question and concern that the movie raises for me would be the technology of the time. What radar technology was there that kept them from seeing this coming from hundreds of miles away? What kinds of communication technology was there that could have helped prevent the attack? There just seems to be more that could’ve been done to help prevent the attack through the presence, or lack of, technology.

I would, without hesitation, refer this movie to someone looking for more background information in the subject. Michael Bay, in my opinion, and in the opinion of to critics, has portrayed the event and even the time period with almost flawless, factual perfection. He not only depicts the attack on Pearl Harbor but gives insight into the lives of some of the men that fought during it. And on top of it all, as any good movie lover likes to hear, there are a lot of explosions and stunning visual effects.

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