Contemporary Epic

I believe that Pearl Harbor is a contemporary epic for a series of reasons. First, it focuses on a very serious subject, the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Many American soldiers lives were lost during that Japanese surprise attack and because of that it is remembered as a tremendously tragic time in our country's history. Next, it has a heavy national significance. This bombing was one of the reasons America joined World War II, something of a heated topic at the time. To me, a cause for entering a world war is pretty significant to a country. On top of that, this movie is very long, over 2 hours. It has to be because of the seriousness of its subject and its importance to American culture but this is also another characteristic of an epic. And lastly, this is very much a movie about heroic deeds. For one thing, the main characters are soldiers and nurses and those jobs alone are doing deeds, and when the bombing happens, the boys Rafe and Danny go, without hesitation, defending the American base.
Pearl Harbor is about a serious subject, has a national significance, is very long, and has heroic deeds in it. Therefore, for these reasons, this movie is a contemporary epic.