Twentysomethings
are intrigued by
‘Pearl Harbor’

---

Charlene Anne Rico
Star-Bulletin

Festivities surrounding the opening of the film "Pearl Harbor" honored veterans of World War II and the memory of those who lost their lives on the fateful day of the attack, Dec. 7, 1941. For many who attended the premiere, it was like seeing a replay of the horror of the day.

Reviewers focused on the lifeless love story, the technical aspects of recreating the battleships and worried about its historical accuracy. However, for those of us of a generation born three to four decades after the war -- the typical film target audience -- "Pearl Harbor" brought to life a past we couldn't imagine.

Rhea Smith, 22, said, "Seeing it made me realize that it was real. I mean, you learn about it and you see it as history, but it doesn't seem real. But to see that and to see how many people died -- it really made me want to know more about what really happened."

Kristen Nakasue, a 23-year old former nursing student, said, "I was able to really put myself there and picture if I had been a nurse back then. It made sense to me because when you think of Pearl Harbor, you don't really think, like 'Oh wow' -- (considering the scope of most wars) it's nothing special -- but after seeing the movie, it really hit me that all of those people had died. They were so young but they risked so much -- I wouldn't have done that."

Aaron Dote, another twentysomething, said, "I really enjoyed this movie. I mean, you learn about it in school and you don't really see how bad it is until you see it in this movie. It's pretty horrific. Our generation, we're kind of cynical and we think that everything is about us, but back in the day of Pearl Harbor when it got bombed it was a totally different story."

Koa Siu, a 23-year-old newlywed and his wife, Sarah agreed that the film, "made us think about what really happened. It made us realize that so many people died and they sacrificed something. It was sad."

"But," interjected Sarah, "I think Joe Moore should be quiet (for criticizing the film) because it was a great movie. And it made it more real to follow the story of the boys before they went to war."

Susie Schoales, a 23-year-old college graduate said, "I didn't cry or anything, but it opened my eyes to its reality. It really made me solemn. It makes me so sad that we're a generation of spoiled brats who will never know what it is to die and sacrifice like that for our county."

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