Every Michael Bay Movie Ranked From Worst To Best
10. Pearl Harbor
When a movie or movie-going trend becomes a hit with audiences, Hollywood will take it upon itself to mimic, replicate or continue that success, in any way possible.
In 2009, Avatar landed in all its 3D-glory, causing most blockbusters for the next few years to adopt the format; in 2008, Iron Man made post-credits scenes more popular than ever before, resulting in a ton of films tacking on stingers; and in 1997, 20th Century Fox released Titanic, which prompted Michael Bay to say "you know what, I could have a crack at something like that", the director swiftly heading off to helm Pearl Harbor.
The result is an overlong, drab and by-the-numbers adaptation of the Titanic formula (a famous historical event mixed with a romantic drama) that's more focused on its unconvincing love triangle than it is telling a compelling story about the surprise Japanese attack on the titular U.S. Naval Base.
Case in point; the attack itself occurs about halfway through the movie, but the story continues on for another hour after that. Why? It's because this isn't the historical epic it should have been (and, unlike Titanic, does not smartly weave its romantic subplot in with the main event), it's a plodding, cliched romantic drama that you've seen a million times before.