The Worst and Most Inaccurate Movie Ever Made?

If you’re a fan of movies, you’ve seen at least one war film. And more than likely, you‘ve seen the movie “Pearl Harbor.” Pearl Harbor is directed by Michael Bay in 2001 which for it‘s time, it has superb graphics and effects. Though, the entire storyline is a flat out bust. Let‘s walk you through it.

Before the movie in 2001, the only hit movie that depicts the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 7th, 1941 was the movie “Tora! Tora! Tora!” which released in 1970. But fifty-one years later, it doesn’t catch the eye of today’s audience unless you’re a bit older than most. Unknown actors and older graphics and effects doesn’t help do it‘s justice, either. For that time, it was a popular movie of course because there was a big audience for war and western films, especially during the time that the United States were at war with whomever. Actors took great pride in their lead roles for those genres because Hollywood and U.S politicians praised it for it‘s works for military recruitment and high morale.

So let’s get back on track. Pearl Harbor is mainly a love story between Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale) and two best friends Rafe McCawley & Danny Walker (Ben Affleck; Josh Harnett). The movie begins with Rafe and Danny as kids and explaining how close the two were from kids as it fast forwards to their military career where they are both First Lieutenants in the US Army as pilots. It goes on to show that Rafe gets deployed to Great Britain as a volunteer for the war effort in Europe against Nazi Germany, but in the process we see that Rafe has fallen in love with Evelyn. Rafe then gets shot down overseas in a dogfight that leads everyone back home to believe that he’s dead. The movie fast forwards 6 months later and see that Danny and Evelyn fall in love with each other. Just one day before the attack on Pearl Harbor begins in the movie, Rafe returns home only to find that Danny and Evelyn are in love. The attack on Pearl Harbor unfolds for about 40 minutes of the movie in epic and dramatic scenes and twists. After the attack concludes, Rafe and Danny get assigned to Colonel Jimmy Doolittle for a top secret raid mission on Tokyo, Japan. At the end of the movie, Danny takes shrapnel to the neck after both bombers crash on the coast of China. Japanese patrols quickly swoop in and take the survivors as prisoners, including Rafe, but the group quickly retaliates. But it wasn’t enough before Danny gets shot three times in the chest and dies. The movie concludes with Rafe and Evelyn as husband and wife with a child that she was pregnant with when Danny was alive. I apologize for the spoilers but if you haven’t seen the movie, you’re about 20 years too late.

Now that we got the jist of the movie, let’s discuss the inaccuracies. Probably the one that stands out the most was the Doolittle Raid. It‘s quite obvious that the raid didn’t go the way it did in the movie hardly at all. The radio‘s used in the movie acted as if they can reach all of the raiders in every plane, no matter how far apart they were. The real radios only reached a certain vicinity, mainly when the planes were close together on their route. The radios were not able to reach planes on a different pattern, much less back in the United States as the movie depicted. During the crash in the ending, that didn‘t necessarily happen. It was just to kill off Josh Harnett’s character to finish the storyline in dramatic fashion.

Another major inaccuracy were the planes that US Army pilots were flying during the Pearl Harbor attack and other scenes. P-40‘s were used during the time period, but in the movie, the model used was the P-40N which didn‘t come along until 1944. In an epic scene where Rafe and Danny had a count of five Japanese Zeros chasing them, the two pilots made a split decision to split up by maneuvering around a tower. In that quick scene, you’ll see several E-2 Hawkeyes planes. Where the problem lies with that is the E-2 Hawkeyes weren’t used until the 1960s. Just before the attack on Pearl Harbor happened, you’ll see military officers roll up in a Korean War era M-38 Jeep to inform Admiral Kimmel of the incoming Japanese fleet.

Minor oopsies and inaccuracies include you can see the USS Arizona memorial in a scene with the nurses visit Pearl Harbor by ferry. But the memorial wasn’t built until 1962. Admiral Yamomoto was never aboard a Japanese ship during the attack. The Japanese aircraft carries that were seen during the launch of the Japanese planes, were the same aircraft carriers that were used to launch the Doolittle Bombers later in the movie. Japanese Zeros in the movie had different colors such as Army Green and Navy White. All Japanese planes that were in the attack on Pearl Harbor were all silver in color which indicates that all of them belonged to the Japanese Imperial Navy.

I could list a few more minor ones but this movie just kind stands out for itself as to being inaccurate. And any history buff will tell you it’s a terrible movie as far as how realistic the movie is. Many people were very disappointed. Michael Bay being the director, the movie being the first major movie with updated graphics and effects about the attack on Pearl Harbor, and much more just turned out to be a bust. Ratings don’t even exceed over 50% with major critic movie companies.

I’ve watched this movie many, many times. I watched it when I was around 10 years old and it seemed like I watched it every day but would only play the attack scenes. I still think they portrayed the Pearl Harbor attack very well. The Doolittle raid is a bit iffy, but the only part I liked was the bomber takeoffs. You get that sense of extreme patriotism with the epic music that Hans Zimmer orchestrated. I give it a 6 out of 10 but I know most people, especially long time veterans, will give it a much lower rating. But I’m a sucker for epic and dramatic war scenes as long as it isn’t too terrible (meaning low budget and/or terrible acting).

What are your thoughts on the movie and it’s inaccuracies?