Essay on “Pearl Harbor” (2001)

The Pearl Harbor is a war film that is laced with romance and action elements. The movie was directed by Michael Bay and written by Wallace Randall. It features actors and performers who are assigned relatively equal roles and significance. They include Alec Baldwin, Tom Sizemore, Colm Feore among others. The American war film retells the Blitz, the attack by the Japanese on the Pearl Harbor as well as the Dolittle Raid (Ernest, 12).

The movie was apparently meant for an audience that is entirely ignorant of the events of Pearl Harbor and World War II. It does not give a clear historical background of the events or depict its context. In light of this, an audience with proper understanding of World War II would not appreciate its historical accuracy. The movie suggests that Japan had to attack America after it cut off all oil supply to Japan. It stresses that Japan was only left with 18 month reserve of oil at the time. It leaves viewers wondering whether going to war would replenish its oil reserves.

At the end of the movie, when Tokyo Raiders crash-land in Chinese soil, it is Japanese patrols that shot at them. It leaves viewers confused as to why the Japanese patrols were in China in the first place. The sense of history and context is entirely missing in the movie (Ernest, 35). From the raid, Evelyn turns out a hero as she performs triage to separate the wounded and the dead for ease of rescue. However, it is the director, Michael Bay and his cinematographer who let the viewers down at this point. They decide to shoot some of the scenes from the hospital in sharp focus while others blurred (Ernest, 59). This is explained as an attempt to obscure details that are deemed too violent for a PG-13 rating. At this point, the viewer is totally confused whether the carnage at Pearl Harbor should get a PG-13 rating in the first place. Perhaps, at the end of the movie where Jimmy Doolittle leads a raid on Tokyo is the most involving material in the film. They clearly appear heroic, and their part of the film would make a god movie on its own (Ernest, 12). The other involving part is where Dorie Miller, an African-American cook, manages to shoot down two planes thereby saving his captain. This is despite the fact that he was not allowed to touch any gun on account of his race. His presence makes the movie a little bit racially balanced. However, the film still lacks any Asian characters to represent Asia. It is, however, important to note that the movie clearly depicts the situations soldiers have to go through and how their participation in war disrupts their lives (Ernest, 18).

The courage exhibited by Rafe is exemplary considering he has a young mistress. He decides to leave her behind to go defend his country. It shows a tremendous courage and patriotism that people should embrace. In light of this, it is possible to say that the movie succeeded in fostering patriotism and not in giving the historical context of the World War II. The movie depicts a romantic scene that is constantly disrupted by prospects of war. As a result, there are breakups, reunions, and more break-ups. The characters have to make painful choices between their loved ones and their country. In which case, they all appear to choose to fight for their country despite the risk of separating with their loved ones forever. Pearl Harbor is an excellent romantic movie that is worth recommending to all patriots in the world.

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