Good point. Plus, it fails on the "so bad it's good" scale. Personally, I don't find any redeeming value of Transformers 1 (and wasn't dumb enough to see #2), but I can see where SOME people would say "Well, it's just big robots fighting. That's all I cared about" and be satisfied by that. But yeah, Pearl Harbor was pretty godawful and really took a crap approach to what could've been a serious subject matter.
The only true, high-caliber work that went into that film was the visual effects turned in by ILM, and the sound editing by (I believe) Skywalker sound.
But even still, how the effects were edited and cut into the story was haphazard and at times nonsensical.
And in line with the "Who's behind the film" element, the writer was Randall Wallace, of Brave Heart fame. You'd think with him, we'd have a better script.
I'd say the same is true of The Patriot with Mel Gibson. I can enjoy it for some of the action sequences, but it's so hamstrung by Emmerich's penchant for beat-you-over-the-head messaging and cheese that I just have a REALLY hard time watching it and it makes me angry. Again, a subject matter that COULD be treated seriously, but that just crap on it by turning it into a hammy schlock-fest.
Try the Director's Cut if you haven't yet.
Every time I watch The Patriot, its one of those films I always hope will be better than I remember it being, but am disappointed.
But the Director's Cut does effectively reduce the cheese ever-so-slightly, and adds a small degree of intentsity, or grit. Combined - while it doesn't completely trn the film around - it DOES improve the film.
The Patriot does have its redeeming values. The hatchet scene is unbeatable. Jason Isaaks is pure gold.
But man - could they not have left that stupid ink-in-the-mouth motif on the cutting room floor? I'm fairly convinced this is what got Ledger his turn as The Joker! :lol