Sorry, this post is probably gonna be a bit lengthy. I'll probably get slammed for this, but I liked U-571. I took it for what it was, a Hollywood WWII FICTIONAL action drama with some events (very) loosely based on things that actually happened, or could have happened. I'm not a submariner nor do I know any, so no I am no expert but I'm not exactly sure what bits of it seem to have cut people so deeply here. It wasn't a documentary nor was it supposed to be. I haven't seen it in a while but I think at the end they DO scroll some text saying that the British were the ones who recovered the Enigma along with some other factual information. Got a problem with Matthew McConaughey and Jon Bon Jovi? At least they were recognizeable names that might have brought some viewers that might otherwise have passed it up.
Whenever these movies come up people always start crying over "that's not right! That's not how it happened! Oh God, there's a WOMAN in the plot!?!?!?! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Heresy!" It's kind of the same thing when a new sim comes out, everybody jumps all over it because it doesn't model this targeting system absolutely accurately, this rivet is out of place, this plane's flight model isn't right, that ship's guns are too accurate. Some things, when they are glaringly wrong deserve to be corrected. I am not saying realism is not important, it is. But whether it's a movie or a game (even though it's a simulation it's still a game), the people who produce it need to sell it and try to make a profit. It's not cheap making high end games/ sims or movies. They need to be entertaining. Deciding to make a WWII submarine product is already limiting market appeal, so tailoring it to the nth degree to appease the ultra hard core crowd is only going to further limit its reach. Please don't misunderstand me, I would be in an uproar too if we saw Gato class subs racing around submerged at 20 kts after taking depth charge hits and firing active homing Mk-14's. However, I think with the realities of the media market we have to allow some wiggle room for people to tell their stories and give respect to the realities of what people really experienced in a context that people beyond the hard core will watch.
I think USS SeaViper sounds promising, like they are trying to "keep it real" while still making a movie that a non sub-nut could watch. The fact that they are simultaneously doing a genuine documentary - *all reality* - especially since it seems like they aren't working with a mega blockbuster budget, really deserves a round of applause. Like has been said earlier in this thread, they chose to make a film based on a subject we're all interested in here in a day where that doesn't happen very much. It's not going to be "perfect" and nail every detail, but if we crucify it for taking hopefully minor liberties the next guy just might not bother. I will see this movie when it comes out, and judge it then on its own merit of being just that - a movie that hopefully is engaging to watch with the requisite thrills and dramatic turns while maybe giving a decent glance at the atmosphere of a particular niche of the Pacific War.
I'm just finishing reading "Wahoo" and will follow it with "Clear the Bridge". I'd love to see a well done movie or HBO miniseries on Richard O'Kane. Mr Hanks, Mr Spielberg?
Oh yeah, for what it is I enjoyed Pearl Harbor too. Inaccuracies aside the flying scenes (except for the silly on the deck criss cross midair collision duel during the attack) were good and uh, Kate Beckinsale.
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