My thoughts on 'Pearl Harbor.'

A Michael Bay film.

As of May 25, 2001, those words have an entire new meaning.

I honestly don't know where to start or how to begin reviewing "Pearl Harbor. But I will give you some random thoughts.

For now, I can tell you how I initially felt. Do you remember when Jim Carey fans saw the "Truman Show?" They were surprised—and shocked—to see Carey in a different light. That's how I felt after seeing Pearl Harbor.

Why you may ask? Let me begin by saying that as I saw the credits roll in the theater, I just sat there with my lower jaw hanging. My eyes, ears, and mind had just witnessed a major change in what a Michael Bay film is.

If you are expecting anything closely related to the texture, style, cinematography, story, and editing of "Bad Boys," "The Rock," and "Armageddon, you're in for the biggest surprise of your life. Pearl Harbor is a romance drama. Some call it a "chick flick." This is NOT an action movie although it has some elements of that genre. So if you go in expecting Saving Private Ryan, don't bother.

In fact, if it weren't for the ending credits, you would not be able to tell that this is a film directed by Michael Bay.

I'll admit I was a little bit skeptical after hearing so many intellectuals review Pearl Harbor. Critics saying the following:

• It looks like an commercial or music video.
• The editing is frenetic.
• Too many "Kodak" moments.
• Weak script & atrocious dialogue
• Disrespect to the veterans and survivors
• Racist. Insulting to Japanese and Germans.
• Jingoistic...

I want to know the following. What movie did these critics see? It wasn't "Pearl Harbor" for sure.

Pearl Harbor does NOT look like an MTV video. Who ever says so either hasn't seen a music video or hasn't seen this type of cinematography therefore has no language to describe it and ignorantly refers to clichés and superlatives.

The editing and cutting is like no other Bay movie. The editing in dialogue parts is perfect and well paced. Once the attack begins, quick editing takes place to convey a sense of chaos and urgency.

I am a sucker for those montages Michael makes, or what people call "Kodak Moments. But this movie had very few. There was about 30 seconds worth of those montages; mostly of people in Hawaii before the attack. I wish there were more of those.

The script. The language used is appropriate for its time. Some of the lines kinda reminded me of 40s-50s show. The language is very simple and to the point. Kinda sappy & cute at times, but then again, I'm a guy. The script gives you a sense of what it was to live in those times, the innocence and simplicity as opposed to the cynical and jaded times we now live. And that is pretty heady for some critics.

The horror witnesses in the attack of Pearl Harbor got me very choked up. I can not imagine what is was to be living in a paradise like Hawaii, then being attacked on a Sunday morning. Michael gives you an idea on how the peace and innocence gets stabbed by war when he shows the Japanese planes cruising above a baseball diamond filled with kids. Very powerful image. The images of the attack got me thinking on what is was to die for your country. I can imagine a lot of these sailors knew that there was a possibility of dying when you join the Arm Forces, but not this way, and not at this time. This movie is a memory of the times and lives of these sailors that died at Pearl Harbor.

The Japanese are portrayed respectfully. They are portrayed as warriors that had to go to war. A war that for them, was inevitable. I hope kids throughout the world learn that war has to be avoided a all cost.

Pearl Harbor was an event between Japan and the USA. This film is patriotic in the way that it tells how America rose from that event, and loss its innocence. There are no flag -waving moments or themes. This movie doesn't convey that America is the center of the universe. This movie just assures us that America is a great place to live.

For Pearl Harbor. Michael did not overcrank the visuals. The shot you saw were the necessary shots. I am an addict when it comes to "cool" visuals, and Pearl Harbor left me hungry. The visual glamour wasn't there. There didn't need to be glamour in this movie. I'm not saying this movie wasn't shot well—it was—it's that there no visual excesses in this film. This movie required a very solemn respect in terms of visuals. At this, Michael was very successful.

This movie worked on many levels of which I did not expect. I'm not a film critic—nor do I desire to be one—so I won't bore you with unnecessary theoretic crap. Go see it and maybe you'll see what I mean. I loved it. A SOLID film all the way through.

Critics are panning this movie left and right. I think when you're Michael Bay, you become an easy target. I'm not here to defend Bay or Bruckheimer. They're big enough to defend themselves. But none of these critics are being noble at taking shots at them.

This movie can easily be enjoyed if you have no agenda.

This is what one moviegoer told me:

"I just spent 3 of themost magical screentime I have had in 40 yrs...if you can believe at about the time pearl harbor attack was going on we had some sort of emergency and everyone was asked to go to the nearest exit we came back to the still most beautiful directed movie...I have ever seen"

After the film, someone told me that movie critics are going through an intellectual crisis. I really don't get the critics on this one and telling by the applause at the end of the film, I'm not alone.

I quote from Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa. Basically it sums up why he took the part of General Genada, and what I think most peoples reaction to the movie is:

"Coming into this film I had a lot of apprehension, my greatest wish would be that we left the last millennium by stop counting the anniversaries of Pearl Harbor and instead when they said they were making a movie I thought 'who the f*ck are they, they had to pull this stuff off' you know, so I had great apprehension. Then I said who's doing it? Michael...Michael Bay? Armageddon Michael Bay!!! The guy who made the flag bigger than Patton at Cape Canaveral, that Michael Bay? I thought Oh my God! Go get some Japanese actors, hire those guys let them take the fall. When I read the script it...it just made it, made me feel bad about prejudging. I mean I know about prejudice, I was doing that to this movie and I was doing that to Michael Bay so when I read the script I was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't an embellishing".

But you ask: did you like it!!??

My answer: "You bet. I'm off to see it again."