Pearl Harbor: Strength and Honor Edition

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8.9 (21)
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Pearl Harbor: Strength and Honor Edition
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Genre:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
2001
Original Running Time:
183
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
128
Time Cut:
55
Brief Synopsis:
By removing the love triangle this turns out to be a great action and war movie about a day the US will never forget.
Intention:
I write this having completed my first viewing of the final cut. This may be the finest re-edit I’ve done. Using the R-rated Director’s Cut as my basis, I have completely removed the awful romantic love triangle and thereby turned this into a kinetic war movie that focuses entirely on the lead-up and attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo. Like Titanic, Pearl Harbor was really two movies in one. A story of a historical disaster, and a love story. It made Titanic float, but it made Pearl Harbor sink. By removing the ham-fisted love story, the movie becomes a visually stunning actioner that hits the gas and doesn’t let up for two hours.
Editing Details:
We see the genuine comradery between lifelong buddies Rafe and Danny without any pointless tension thrown in. We respect Evelyn as a capable nurse who rises to an incredible challenge. She isn’t romantically linked to either character, which keeps the focus on the looming war from all sides â€� Rafe’s combat post in the RAF, Danny, the other flyboys and nurses posted at Pearl, the newsreels, the intelligence and analysis in Washington, and the preparation of the Japanese for the attack. When all hell breaks loose, we’re squarely focused on it, and not on false tensions written out of a marketing playbook.

Some scenes were moved around in the first act to improve flow, but rather than pulling out little bits here and there, I mostly lopped out giant sections and left others intact. Just remember, the Ritalin-challenged quick-cut editing style is Michael Bay’s work, not mine. The most finessed part of the edit is the bar scene upon Rafe’s return. Instead of having lifelong friends sniping at each other and descending into fisticuffs over a woman, we have Danny somewhat speechless and in awe of his friend who has returned from the dead. Moments like that aren’t moments for anger and hate, they’re cause for celebration, and that’s how the scene now plays out.

Oh, and Bruce Willis is taken right the F— out of this film. If there ever was a moment that pulled me out of a movie, it’s was seeing John McClane limping around in triage behind Jennifer Garner’s bewildered Nurse Sandra. That one shot drained all the emotional investment the attack built up. All it needed was a “Yippie-kay-yay” as a final punch. Whatever. It’s gone, and Jennifer Garner’s moment of clueless despair right along with it. It only improves her character and keeps you emotionally invested in Nurse Betty’s death.

Kate’s voiceover brings the film to a pitch-perfect close. No cheesy scenes of “the family” flying about in the clouds. The end is more patriotic, more noble, and yes, more uplifting than a crop duster.

What we’re left with is a film that pays genuine tribute to the men (and women) who fought and died at Pearl Harbor, and those who lived on to fight out World War II. Clocking in at 2 hours 8 minutes (including credits) it feels like the perfect length.
Cover art by Enzo (DOWNLOAD HERE)
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Cover art by Enzo (DOWNLOAD HERE)
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Cover art by Enzo (DOWNLOAD HERE)
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Cover art by Enzo (DOWNLOAD HERE)
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Cover art by Kracker (DOWNLOAD HERE)
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Cover art by Kracker (DOWNLOAD HERE)
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Cover art by Kracker (DOWNLOAD HERE)
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Cover art by Kracker (DOWNLOAD HERE)
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Cover art by Kracker (DOWNLOAD HERE)
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User reviews

21 reviews
 
62%
 
38%
5-7 stars
 
0%
3-5 stars
 
0%
1-3 stars
 
0%
Overall rating
 
8.9
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.4(5)
Audio Editing
 
9.2(5)
Visual Editing
 
9.8(5)
Narrative
 
8.0(5)
Enjoyment
 
8.9(21)
View all user reviews View most helpful
(Updated: April 25, 2022)
Overall rating
 
8.0
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0
Audio Editing
 
8.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
7.0
Enjoyment
 
7.0
In his review of Pearl Harbor, Roger Ebert described it as depicting "...a surprise attack on an American love triangle.", not being a fan of Michael Bay I saw no reason to chase it up. For all the many flaws baked into the source this edit is quite watchable, the new cuts are seamless to the extent that having never seen the original I at no time felt like anything was missing.

The only thing that I would further change would be to remove the voiceover and song at the end to give a more sombre ending, the latter in particular feeling (unsurprisingly) like it belongs to a film of a different genre. Otherwise, I do not know how it could be made any better!

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
P
Top 50 Reviewer 82 reviews
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 1
Overall rating
 
8.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
This is great! Truly an improvement and a well-crafted one. ADMs editing is superb and I didn't feel a single minute was missing from the 55 cut. Yet another fan edit that surpasses and replaces the original cut. I can only imagine what an HD-version would be like! But that doesn't take anything away from this version. Perfectly watchable and enjoyable!

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
DVD
M
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
8.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
8.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
7.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
This is far superior to the theatrical cut. The movie is much tighter and better in my opinion. It still isn't a great movie, but this is as good as it's going to get. It's very enjoyable now. I tricked my wife into watching this (she loves the love story a lot) and even she enjoyed it. Technically proficient, no overly noticable cuts or sound jumps.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
DVD
T
Top 50 Reviewer 114 reviews
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0
Overall rating
 
8.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
7.0
I watched Pearl Harbor once and forgot most of it. It was really boring, then some action, then boring. Now it’s boring, action, boring - at least it’s an improvement. Editing was solid. My dad would probably enjoy this one.

A/V Quality - 9
Editing - 10
Narrative - 8
Enjoyment - 7 (original 6)

Recommended drink: Rum and mango juice

User Review

Format Watched?
DVD
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 1
Overall rating
 
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
Cracking good film!
I delayed viewing this because I hated the original.
Never fear, this edit cranks.
As noted, the love story is completely excised, and the focus is on action.

Visual editing was terrific, and was complemented by a thundering audio mix.
Narrative was on the shallow end, but that was to be expected when there were so many top name actors involved. The nurses storyline suffered most, they ended up being little more than eye candy with a handful of lines. Not a complaint, just an observation.

This is an older edit, but one of the better ones. Top job by ADM.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
DVD
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View all user reviews