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| DVD
Reviews - Pearl Harbor |
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Order this DVD from
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Pearl
Harbor
(Vista Series)
(Buena Vista Home Entertainment)
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| DVD
Release Date:
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July
2, 2002
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Length:
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184 mins.
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| Rated:
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R
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| Format:
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Widescreen (2.35:1)
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Languages:
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English, French
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| Subtitles:
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English, Spanish
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| Extras:
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3 Screen-Specific Audio Commentaries, 2 History Channel
Documentaries, 2 Interactive Effects Deconstructions, "Boot
Camp" Pre-Production Footage, Historical Timeline, 6 Still
Galleries, Music Video, Theatrical Trailers
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This was my third time watching this
blockbuster, but here we got a director's cut. In previous reviews
I've done concerning this movie's theatrical and DVD runs, I mentioned
a lack of violent realism and the need for a new edit. Well, we got
it, kind of. Sure, there was a lot more blood, guts and limbs, but the
pacing and order to the whole thing was almost identical. Some scenes
were just trimmed by the tiniest of margins while others received a
slight extension. Outside of the actual Japanese attack which featured
plenty of new special effects horror, I doubt if most people would
even notice a change. In other words, nothing dramatic was done to the
plot . The love story still presided awkwardly around the action and I
still see it as this movie's greatest flaw. Whether or not it's
wearing on me, I'm not sure, for I indeed found myself enjoying this
version more. I guess I'm just a bit morbid.
This was a four disc set so you can imagine how much bonus material
there is to be found. The movie itself was confined on discs one and
two with the latter also holding a wonderful special effects focused
featurette, a music video and a promo spot for a National Geographic
video. Disc three contained articles that I love in DVDs of fact based
films - historical supplements. Here, we got a short oral recounting
of events from a nurse and two terrific and lengthy History Channel
featurettes, "One Hour Over Tokyo" and "Unsung Heroes
of Pearl Harbor". Disc three also carried material having to do
with the film itself. These included ten short, but interesting,
vignettes dealing with various physical effects sequences, a section
with highly entertaining "actor boot camp" footage, a
trailer, a teaser and a brief montage of Super 8 footage. On the final
disc of the set, the abilities of the DVD format got shown off. A
multi-angle comparison of the attack sequence consisted of a
behind-the-scenes view, a conceptual view and a look at the final
film. Audio for this came with a choice of seven tracks which had,
storyboard artist Robert Consing, visual effects supervisor Eric
Brevig, testimonials from real-life survivors, sound from the final
film, on-set audio, sound effects only and score only tracks. Another
fascinating artifact on this disc was a beautifully presented
historical look at relations between Japan and the United States.
Rounding things out were plenty of photos and conceptual art, an
example of the animatics and an interactive look at some of the
computer effects. There were three commentary tracks with this set
which were presented along with the film on the first two discs. One
from director Michael Bay and his former film professor Jeanine
Basinger was interesting as it became an interview on what creative
decisions were made. Another track had mostly stars Ben Affleck and
Josh Hartnett (who were the only two together) delivering entertaining
anecdotic quips with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and star Alec Baldwin
stepping in to speak at times. The final track was technical and was
delivered by cinematographer John Schwartzman, production designer
Nigel Phelps, costume designer Michael Kaplan, supervising art
director Martin Laing and composer Hans Zimmer. Overall, the
presentation of this set was quite elegant in terms of both DVD menus
and the unique packaging.
I see this DVD set appealing to several crowds. Those who revere
history, those who relish blood and guts and those that are die hard
collectors.
| The Movie: |
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7/10 |
| The Extras: |
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10/10 |
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| Recommendation: |
Rent
This One |
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Phil
Wong - Associate Editor
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