An old Michael Bay-Ben Affleck World War II movie is giving audiences plenty of reasons to revisit it more than two decades later. The romantic war drama film is set to arrive on streaming soon.
Pearl Harbor begins streaming on Netflix next month
As per What’s on Netflix, the streamer will add Pearl Harbor to its catalog on Oct. 1, giving Michael Bay’s 2001 World War II epic another shot with worldwide audiences.
Pearl Harbor becomes the backdrop for a story that is just as concerned with friendship and romance as it is with war. Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker grow up as inseparable fighter pilots, only to find their bond tested after both develop feelings for Navy nurse Evelyn Johnson. When Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, their relationship is pulled directly into the chaos.
Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale headline the cast, joined by Cuba Gooding Jr., Jon Voight and Alec Baldwin. Michael Bay directed the film using a screenplay from Randall Wallace. The production reportedly cost $140 million, and it grossed roughly $449 million worldwide, including nearly $199 million from domestic markets.
The numbers reveal a much less flattering side of Pearl Harbor. IMDb users currently give the film a 6.3/10, while its Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score sits at just 24%. Fans on the same site have been far more forgiving, pushing the Popcornmeter to 66%. The combat spectacle remains the easiest part to appreciate. Many fans singled out the movie’s impressive 40-minute action stretch, even as it took issue with the dialogue and romantic storyline.
Instead of filling every shot with digital effects, Bay had Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, and Alec Baldwin complete basic flight training for the production. Jon Voight went through an uncomfortable transformation to portray President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
His costume reportedly included replica steel leg braces modeled after the ones Roosevelt relied on. Voight reportedly spent weeks dealing with painful bruising and chafing caused by the braces during filming.
