Product Details

• Actors: Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, Josh Hartnett, Cuba Gooding Jr., Jon Voight
• Directors: Michael Bay
• Writers: Randall Wallace
• Producers: Barry H. Waldman, Bruce Hendricks, Chad Oman, Jennifer Klein, Jerry Bruckheimer
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Touchstone / Disney
• DVD Release Date: December 4, 2001
• Run Time: 183 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1,951 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00003CXTG
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,826 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #12 in	Movies & TV > Military & War > War Epics
  #18 in	Movies & TV > Military & War > World War II

• For more information about "Pearl Harbor (Two-Disc 60th Anniversary Commemorative Edition)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
To call Pearl Harbor a throwback to old-time war movies is something of an understatement. Director Michael Bay's epic take on the bombing that brought the United States into World War II hijacks every war movie situation and cliché (some affectionate, some stale) you've ever seen and gives them a shiny, glossy spin until the whole movie practically gleams. Planes glisten, water sparkles, trees beckon--and Bay's re-creation of the bombing itself, a 30-minute sequence that's tightly choreographed and amazingly photographed, sets the action movie bar up quite a few notches. And in updating the classic war film, Bay and screenwriter Randall Wallace (Braveheart) use that old plot standby, the love triangle--this time, it's between two pilots (Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett) and a nurse (Kate Beckinsale) who find themselves stationed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, during what they thought would be a nice, sunny tour of duty. Then, of course, history intervened.

For the first 90 minutes of the movie, Affleck and Beckinsale find a nice, appealing chemistry that plays on his strengths as a movie star and hers as a serious actress--he gives her glamour, she gives him smarts. Their truncated romance--the beginning of which is told in flashback so we can get right to the point where he has to leave her to go to England--works, thanks to their charm. They're no Kate and Leo from Titanic (a strategy the film strives hard toward), but they're pretty darn adorable in their own right. Hartnett, as the not entirely unwelcome third wheel, squints bravely but makes only a slight dent in the film. Everyone else in Pearl Harbor--from Cuba Gooding Jr.'s brave navy seaman to Jon Voight's able impersonation of FDR--is pretty much a glorified walk-on, taking a backseat to the pyrotechnics and action sequences that keep the three-hour film in fairly constant motion. But when that action does take hold, Pearl Harbor is quite a thrilling ride. --Mark Englehart

Product Description
History comes alive in the unforgettable epic motion picture PEARL HARBOR, the spectacular blockbuster brought to the screen by Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay. Astounding visual and audio effects put you at the center of the event that changed the world -- that early Sunday morning in paradise when warplanes screamed across the peaceful skies of Pearl Harbor and jolted America into World War II. This real-life tale of catastrophic defeat, heroic victory, and personal courage focuses on the war's devastating impact on two daring young pilots, Ben Affleck (ARMAGEDDON) and Josh Hartnet (BLACK HAWK DOWN), and a beautiful, dedicated nurse, Kate Beckinsale (SERENDIPITY). PEARL HARBOR is extraordinary moviemaking -- a breathtaking reenactment of the "date which will live in infamy" and a heartfelt tribute to the men and women who lived it.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars 'Enemy' denied humanity and believability, October 1, 2003

By	"moehiggins" (Japan) - See all my reviews

In addition to the historical military inaccuracies which have already been mentioned in detail on these pages, I would add the unfortunate stereotyping of Japan's military leaders as a major negative. Indeed, we are at a time in history where such silly cardboard cut-outs are no longer necessary - if they ever were - in trying to portray the psychological truths that plunged the U.S. and Japan into war with each other.

The director was apparently lazy or just stupid. The idiotic rendering of Japanese and things Japanese in this movie dismisses it from serious consideration as a thing of value or merit.

It's trash.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A brief summary, November 29, 2003

By	ben (Germany) - See all my reviews

two guys fall in love with the same girl, and it strains their friendship. oh and just so you know the Japanese bomb...some ships. this movie was [awful] when it came out, and now after everythings happened, this movie just looks worse and even more pathetic. the only ups are the special effects and...special effects. this movie misses the point by such a margine its offensive.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't Waste Your Money, June 8, 2001

By	Jeremiah J. Timmins (Laconia, NH USA!) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This movie was sad. Not romantic-sad, sad as in 'pathetic.'

If you want to see a good movie about Pearl Harbor, check out "Tora, Tora, Tora." This flick comes across as pure fiction, and is largely unbelievable. I think one of the ending scenes defines its lack of realism. Two aviators are being captured by the Japanese. One aviator is tied up, while his buddy manages to shoot three Japanese, and kill two with a grenade. Meanwhile, the tied-up guy is shot through the chest multiple times. Of course, the dying buddy is strong enough to keep kicking until he gives his farewell speech, while the Japanese are all instantly stone-cold dead.

Besides, this movie would have been about an hour shorter if it didn't show an American flag every five seconds. I love the USA, but come on, I know our flag's pretty.