I began to question whether this film would unfold as slowly as a pearl develops inside an oyster! It felt like eighty minutes passed before the Japanese characters arrived and injected some action into what was otherwise a drawn-out and tedious love story. The presentation is lovely, with Ben Affleck ("Rafe") looking particularly rugged as he navigates his relationship with "Evelyn" (Kate Beckinsale). After subjecting us to the predictable courtship rituals, he goes to England to participate in the Battle of Britain. It’s then that she receives word that he's died. His best friend, "Danny" (Josh Hartnett), appears to comfort her, and from there, the story is fairly predictable. It seemed obvious that Affleck received an exorbitant salary just for his early appearance before any real conflict began, so naturally, he reappears and a dull love triangle consumes the narrative. The film improves somewhat when it finally concentrates on the events of December 7th, 1941, with some exciting action sequences. There are twenty minutes depicting the carefully orchestrated destruction of the US Pacific fleet, which caused chaos and devastation for those caught unprepared. The special effects and cinematography effectively portray both the human suffering and the extensive damage to equipment. Naturally, everyone survives and, along with their former commanding officer "Doolittle" (Alec Baldwin), they are recruited into a plan involving a dangerous, long-distance bombing raid on Tokyo intended to show that they’re still capable of delivering a powerful counterattack. It feels like two separate movies, and I appreciated the later parts much more. Even then, the script is remarkably bad, and the characters feel shallow and underdeveloped. The technology is well utilized, but that's about all I can say in praise of this sentimental and wandering film.

Source on TMDB