Vivid fact-based epic recounting the period from the
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, to the Navy's
decisive victory in the battle of the title in June 1942, a triumph that turned
the tide in the Pacific Theater of World War II. The ensemble drama follows,
among others, top brass, including Adms. Chester W. Nimitz (Woody Harrelson),
William "Bull" Halsey (Dennis Quaid) and Isoroku Yamamoto (Etsushi
Toyokawa), a brilliant intelligence officer (Patrick Wilson), two daring pilots
(Ed Skrein and Luke Evans) and Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle (Aaron Eckhart) whose
air raid on Tokyo in April 1942 was a major propaganda coup for the Allies and
helped lay the groundwork for the positive outcome at sea less than two months
later. As this partial list suggests, director Roland Emmerich has a lot of
personal story lines to keep bound together with the result that the details of
his film are sometimes confusing. But there's a good balance in Wes Tooke's
script between action scenes and human interest and the patriotism, courage and
tenacity on display go a long way to maintain attention. Possibly acceptable
for older teens despite a lot of realistic sailors' talk.
Watch out for: Frequent
stylized violence with little gore, brief gruesome images of a burned corpse,
about 10 uses of profanity, an equal number of milder oaths, at least one rough
term, considerable crude and crass language.
Rated: A-III, adults; MPAA:
PG-13
© Arlington Catholic Herald 2019