Pearl Harbor

PG-13

Released May 25, 2001

3h 3m

War

Drama

List

24%

Tomatometer

195 Reviews

66%

Audience Score

250,000+ Ratings

This sweeping drama, based on real historical events, follows American boyhood friends Rafe McCawley (Ben Affleck) and Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett) as they enter World War II as pilots. Rafe is so eager to take part in the war that he departs to fight in Europe alongside England's Royal Air Force. On the home front, his girlfriend, Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale), finds comfort in the arms of Danny. The three of them reunite in Hawaii just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

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Critics Consensus

Pearl Harbor tries to be the Titanic of war movies, but it's just a tedious romance filled with laughably bad dialogue. The 40 minute action sequence is spectacular though.

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Joe Morgenstern

Wall Street Journal

Pearl Harbor is a blockheaded, hollow-hearted industrial enterprise.

May 28, 2014

Full Review

Andrew Sarris

Observer

The best way to see the movie is as I did: expecting nothing and being pleasantly surprised, and strangely moved, by Mr. Bay's audacity in filming his lovers in end-of-the-world close-ups, however briefly.

May 28, 2014

Full Review

Anthony Lane

New Yorker

The effect of watching a Michael Bay film is indistinguishable from having a large, pointy lump of rock drop on your head. His new picture, Pearl Harbor, maintains the mood.

May 28, 2014

Full Review

Michael D. Reid

Victoria Times Colonist (B.C., Canada)

This formulaic three-hour opus seems to go on from here to eternity.

Rated: 1.5/5

Apr 30, 2024

Full Review

Sergi Sánchez

Fotogramas

'Pearl Harbor' effortlessly self-parodies itself. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 2/5

Jun 22, 2022

Full Review

Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

Although Pearl Harbor will fill Disney's coffers, it will fail to fill your heart or adequately honor those men and women who were Pearl Harbor.

Nov 14, 2019

Full Review

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Jason M D

pearl harbor was so bad I did not like it at all the acting was awful the first time I saw peal harbor was on DVD the story and plot was all over the place and seemed boring at times its really the bad of a movie

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/25/24

Full Review

Bryce R

Go into the movie not expecting much and you’ll be surprised of how good it is.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/21/24

Full Review

Dale R

A Hollywoodized version of the events of World War II focusing on the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the follow up Doolittle Raid on Japan. The movie starts by setting up a love triangle between Ben Afleck, Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale to give the audience an emotional attachment to them. But this didn’t work for me, instead I was more invested in the military leaders and President Roosevelt’s mind set before the attack. The second act is the attack on Pearl Harbor and in typical Michael Bay fashion it is riddled with explosions and some good action sequences. The last third of the movie focuses on the Doolittle Raid which was an important morale booster for the U.S., but this movie didn’t show that and tried to explain it in narration which left me yawning and looking to see how much longer the movie was. I wouldn’t recommend this movie to anyone, but I can see how Michael Bay fans may enjoy the well crafted special effects and explosions.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/07/24

Full Review

Parker B

Amazing movie! The top critics and anyone who gave this below 5 stars are all losers and don’t know anything about movie criticism. One of the all time Great War movies ever produced. Top critics can suck it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/04/24

Full Review

Luis R

I love this movie, the action scenes are great, I don't want to give the film away but it's a tear jerker, it has a little of everything comedy, action, drama, and thriller

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/30/24

Full Review

Houlden M

Micheal Bay's Pearl Harbour is a tour de farce of awful characters you wish the Japanese planes would shoot, heinous depictions of WWII soldiers being portrayed as stuttering idiots, and your typical historic indulgence that makes for one of the worst period pieces of all time

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

06/05/24

Full Review

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Michael Bay

Director

Ben Affleck

Rafe McCawley

Josh Hartnett

Danny Walker

Kate Beckinsale

Evelyn Stewart

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Doris "Dorie" Miller

Tom Sizemore

Sgt. Earl Sistern

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Synopsis

This sweeping drama, based on real historical events, follows American boyhood friends Rafe McCawley (Ben Affleck) and Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett) as they enter World War II as pilots. Rafe is so eager to take part in the war that he departs to fight in Europe alongside England's Royal Air Force. On the home front, his girlfriend, Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale), finds comfort in the arms of Danny. The three of them reunite in Hawaii just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Director: Michael Bay
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer, Michael Bay
Screenwriter: Randall Wallace
Distributor: Buena Vista Home Video (BVHV), Touchstone Pictures, Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Rating: PG-13 (Images of Wound|Brief Sensuality|Intense War Sequences|Some Language)
Genre: War, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 25, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 23, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $198.5M
Runtime: 3h 3m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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