This was far better than I anticipated. I didn't think it was overlong,or overstuffed as one critic said, far from it.
When you get 20 somethings who don't know about these things, or even when or how long WW II started or lasted, let alone the human cost..( I actually met a student who thought WW II was a film), then films depicting the events leading to and around the battle are important.
I myself, didn't realize the cost of life to occupied China for instance, or the fact that this battle was of far more significance to the USA than most know.. Ok the acting isn't brilliant in places and the dialogue maybe a bit one dimensional, but it's a powerful account of the battle.
It's a film that is far better than critics give it credit. It was moving and thought provoking. I would watch it again.