There was understandably a lot of consternation when it was first announced that Michael Bay of all people would be helming an expansive historical epic detailing one of the most pivotal moments in the history of both World War II and the United States, and Pearl Harbor hardly assuaged those doubts in its finished form.
Having delivered three bombastic action blockbusters via Bad Boys, The Rock, and Armageddon, there was at least some belief that the filmmaker was set to mature and broaden his horizons by tackling more serious subject matter. Naturally, then, he proved the optimists wrong by delivering more Bayhem, except this time rooted in some semblance of fact.
Pearl Harbor did bring in almost $450 million at the box office, and secured an Academy Award win for Best Sound Editing in amongst four nominations for its technical merits that were all completely warranted, but a 24 percent Rotten Tomatoes approval rating tells its own story. Pilloried for its many, many shortcomings, it does at least boast one scene in isolation that may just be the very best of Bay’s entire career.
The titular attack runs for a monstrous 40 minutes, and remains one of the most visceral, hard-hitting, and visually dazzling depictions of warfare ever committed to celluloid, but it was nowhere near enough considering Pearl Harbor runs for a butt-numbing 184 minutes. That being said, explosive epics are always game for a new lease of life on streaming, with Bay’s contributions becoming the latest.
Per FlixPatrol, Pearl Harbor has cracked the iTunes global charts, even if less than 25 percent of its total length is worth recommending to anybody sitting on the fence about taking the plunge.