I just saw POC 3 and it was much better than I anticipated. I wasn't planning on going but a friend call at the last minute and I have to say I was surprised. I wasn’t expecting much after the second one which lasted too long and got kind of silly, but if you were able to sit through 2 you should enjoy 3. Seeing how much money 2 made a lot of people sat through 2.
It has one of the more complicated plots I've seen in a while for an over the top action movie. Don’t get me wrong it is still kind of silly in places, but there will be a bunch kids who won’t get half of what’s going on. I may even want to see it again. I like it when movies surprise me.
Well got to go to bed now. We can talk spoilers tomorrow. OH yeah this one is long 3 hours with trailers.
[ May 26, 2007, 07:53 PM: Message edited by: SC Carver ]
Posted by Launchywiggin (Member # 9116) on :
Pile of Crap....3
Posted by Launchywiggin (Member # 9116) on :
Professional Orators Club
Posted by Launchywiggin (Member # 9116) on :
ohhhhhh.....the pirates movie.
had to think about it.
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
I really liked it. Sure, there were the silly and/or "... the heck?" moments, but overall it made for a very enjoyable evening.
And the 8-year-old boy next to me loved it, if his incessant cheering was any indication.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Okay, I liked it, with many, many reservations.
I think it would have been a lot better if it was 30 minutes shorter, and I can think of plenty of scenes to fill that 30 minutes. I won't talk about it now, if this isn't a spoiler thread, I'll save it, but otherwise, what was good was VERY, VERY good.
Soundtrack was really good too, nice mix of I, II and new stuff for III.
PS - Who else stayed until after the credits to see the bonus scene?
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
We stayed and were fairly surprised. We didn't think Disney would keep the ending, erm, at the happiness level it was at.
I completely agree about the soundtrack. It caught my attention (in a good way) many times throughout the movie.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
The "pirate choir" at the very beginning had every chance to be cheesy and stupid, but despite the fact that I initially shook my head at it, the scene ended up a lot more powerful than it would have been without it. It was more of a dirge really.
And the music only got better from there. And I love that you only really heard Jack's theme when he first appeared, I'd guessed that, and was pleased to see it happen. Made his entrance all the more awesome.
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
I think Jack had the single best "WTF?!" face I've ever seen in a movie. Brilliant!
Posted by SC Carver (Member # 8173) on :
I think the reason I liked it so much was because I didn't have great expectations. I hate when you hear how great a movie is or just can't wait to see it and then you are just disappointed. I really wanted Spiderman 3 to be good, but it wasn't.
Dang, didn't know there were bonus scenes.
I am sure 8 year old boys will love this movie, lots of action and funny parts, but will miss a lot of the plot. Maybe Disney has learned from Pixar to make a movie that appeals to both kids and adults.
It could have been a little shorter, but at least it didn't have a 15 minute sword fight on water wheel this time.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Thank god for that.
By the time they actually got to a decent sword fight I said "Finally!" In POTC 2 I wanted to fastforward to the end of the swordfight.
Posted by SC Carver (Member # 8173) on :
A friend at work thought it was too long also.
He thought it was hard to keep up with. I liked the fact they actually tried to challenge you with a complicated plot. He didn't like the way they took some of the elements from the first two and changed them to make them important in the third. I thought it was nice creative writing.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Well if you listen to the writers, Curse of the Black Pearl was written as a stand alone, and then the next two were written together to give them more continuity. They went back and tried to make things fit to the first movie, but the second two were specifically intended to jive together.
There were a couple wordy scenes, mostly with Chow Yun Fat, that I would have loved to see cut from the movie, it's really the only part I thought dragged.
Also, and I just found this, MUCH to my surprise whilst reading IMDB (SPOILER ALERT, since we haven't declared this a spoiler laden thread yet, ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!! ALERT!!!!)
. . . . . . Seriously, spoiler, it'll ruin the end of the movie if you read it. . . . . . Last warning. . . . . .
Okay, so I'm guessing most of the people who saw the movie stayed until after the credits to see the bonus scene right? Well, in case you didn't, we see Elizabeth, who doesn't appear to have aged a day, standing on a hill staring out at the sea with the sun setting. Little Will Jr. is by her side, a strapping 10 years old, and both appear to be waiting. Then we see a flash of green and Will, looking quite strapping himself and very determined to come ashore, appears.
Now I had assumed that they would only reunite every 10 years, but apparently, that flash of green was meant to indicate that Will is now free of the curse, and that he was no longer Captain of the Flying Dutchman. So it's happily ever after, after all. This was confirmed by the script writers of the show on their website. They said that the two scenes in the movie that explicitly laid out the details of the curse (that you can only step on land every 10 years, UNLESS you find love that is true, then the curse is broken), were cut from the movie at the last minute, even the writers didn't know until late in the game.
I've also read a lot about possible four, five and six. The writers say they have some ideas maybe, and Depp is willing to come back if the script is "very good." Gore Verbinski is nervous about making more movies, but Jerry Bruckheimer wants to go full steam ahead on what he called a "spin-off." So it might not feature our favored cast, but it will be in the same realm, and one would imagine at least containing Johnny Depp. Given the ending of the third film, he seems available, and has a plot for the next film, but William is out, unless he makes an appearance on the Dutchman. Elizabeth would seem to be out too, what with having a kid and all, though she hadn't appeared to of aged a day, so maybe they DID find the Fountain of Youth and she drank from it. Who knows? It was 10 years later, anything could have happened.
[/spoiler]
[ May 25, 2007, 09:09 AM: Message edited by: Lyrhawn ]
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
I liked how they managed to effectively write two of the main characters out of the series, yet left it so that if Disney -does- greenlight PotC 4, there's room open for a few of the other characters to return.
Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :
I liked it a lot and thought it was much better than the second one. For it's length I thought that it was pretty nicely paced for the most part. I didn't know there was something at the end though. Ah well.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
*carefully avoiding spoilers*
So, I should spend my rapidly dwindling funds on this movie?
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
Arrgh my friend, what you be thinkin is your dwindlin funds is just more dubloons awaitin the grasp of ye Pirates of the Cinema under yon Captain Bloody Hands Disney.
You say Buccaneer? We be saying Five Bucks a cheek, and two cheeks per seat meanin some perty cheeky pillagin be goin on.
Avast me hardies, that tisn't the worst. For you truly have not been pillaged till'n you paid our price for a Wee Small soft drink and some salty-dog popped corn.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Thankfully, I steer clear (Avast! Starboard I say, ye scoundrel dog!) of the concession stand.
And heheh.
This is the only movie I can go to see before I get paid in August, so I want to make sure it be a good one.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
Last year, having seen the second movie in the series, I wrote that I was relieved that this trilogy seemed to be going the way of Indiana Jones or the Back to the Future movies - good stories, good jokes, fun effects, and always at least one character you can root for. Having seen the third movie, I really do think that this is one of the few film series which will still be much loved twenty years from now.
There was a moment, somewhere in the middle, where I kind of lost faith that even the film-makers knew what was going on. And then, just like coming over a hill, everything fell into place again.
My impressions...
SPOILERY!!!!!!!!!!! * * * * * * * * * *
I loved the shivering monkey.
Loved Jack's version of heaven - himself. Lots and lots of himself.
I was totally flashing back to the Princess Bride's 'Wuv, twoow wuv' during the wedding.
Loved the significance of the wooden eye, or rather that it HAD any significance, because it's been bothering me for the last two movies that none of the pirates have been wearing an eye patch.
And I was delighted with the piratical fate of the comedy soldier duo - I'm always happy when they don't kill the comic relief.
The sad little scene between Elizabeth and her father actually made me nearly like her. But then she got all shrill near the end and annoyed me again.
You could tell that they'd cut some scenes out. There were some jumpy scene changes, and it was difficult in places to remember what ship which person was on, and with whom. I know most people were finding the movie too long, but actually, I thought it was too short for the complexity of the story...
When a certain very important character 'died' tragically, near the end, most of the audience I was watching with simultaneously screamed 'YES!'. Which was very mean. And also pretty funny.
But the moment when I realised that I was going to come out of this film happy was, ironically, when I realised that there wasn't going to be a completely happy ending. I don't care what the end of credits scene says - I loved the idea that there would never be any happily ever after - that the world was still in motion and nothing was tied up in a neat little bow. But then, I prefer it when characters have to pay a price for their adventures, and I love it when even a Disney movie can be a little bit brave with their outcomes. * * * * * * *
Thus endeth the SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Did anyone else have the Brats trailer before their movie?
Did anyone else's theatre very, very loudly BOO the trailer?
Posted by SC Carver (Member # 8173) on :
Comments on SPOILERS>.....
I agree about Elizabeth's speech. Screaming does not equal good acting. Do they not have any food in the pirate world she is so skinny they wouldn't have to do hardly any special effects to make her a walking skeleton.
Interesting you viewed it as Jack's version of Heaven, because I thought of it as his personal hell.
I like the ending. It wrapped everything up without being cheesy. It is possible to have a good ending without being a "happy" ending.
I like that it came full circle: Jack in a dingy trying to get his ship back just as he began the first movie. Not everyone learns from their experiences.
I’ll be surprised if they can get Depp to do another movie
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
quote:Originally posted by SC Carver: I’ll be surprised if they can get Depp to do another movie
Dude...Depp volunteered that he'd happily do several more PotC films "If the scripts are good."
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
The Bratz trailer traumatized my theater, Lyrhawn.
Fortunately, the other trailers soothed us. Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I'd love to write a pirates movie. Hheehehe.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Why wasn't it a happy ending? I'd say it couldn't have gotten much happier.
Posted by SC Carver (Member # 8173) on :
Spoiler
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Trapped on a ship delivering the souls of the dead to the after life while the love of your life is forced to live on without you, and you are only allowed to see her one day every ten years. Not too happy to me.
Funny now that I think about it. I was happy with the ending because I didn't really care about two of the main characters. Elizabeth and Will, not much there. I only wanted to see what happened to Jack and even with that, Barbobsa stole the show in this one.
Didn’t see the Bratz trailer, but I can’t say I was disappointed. I will have to admit Ratatouille looked better than I thought it would.
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
Spoiler
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My biggest beef with the movie: Dude, Calypso the giantess? Um, no. Too too bizarre.
Second biggest beef: NORRINGTON?!?!?!!? You can't kill him. He's my hero in these movies. I almost considered leaving when he perished. It would have been better, I believe, if he'd stayed aboard the Dutchman and had to serve under Will. I can't believe he died. Tragic.
Also, we had joked around that Elizabeth found the Fountain of Youth - or Jack found it and shared - since she looked exactly the same ten years later. It would be funny if it were true. I don't, however, like the idea that Will's free of the curse. It would be far less poignant for him to have only served ten years as the Captain of the Dutchman. And besides, doesn't the Dutchman always have to have a captain? Who would succeed him? I won't believe the screenwriters' intentions until I see it onscreen, and even then I won't like it. Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
Someone should mark this thread title with spoilers. You guys are doing well at warning me, but I'm having to close my eyes through most of the thread. Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I saw it, and liked it, but agree that it was too long and too complex.
When important plot points are being delivered in pirate jargon over giant background noise, it makes it exceedingly hard to follow.
I'm not sure how I feel about the after-the-credits scene, but I didn't stick around to see it.
Posted by JenniK (Member # 3939) on :
Luckily I knew about the bonus after the credits and Kwea and I stayed through the interminably long list of everyone ever having been connected with the movie in any way. The theater was filled to capacity for the movie, but other than us, there were only 2 other people who stayed through to the final scene. I liked the end, but agree that Elizabeth should have aged, at least a little. If you go with the theoretical idea that Jack found the Fountain of Youth and shared some with her, it would have taken him at least a little while to have found it, and brought some of the water back for her, or returned to take her to it, so she would have at least aged a little and maybe had a little weight gain that she just couldn't lose after that baby. That would have made me smile!
I thoroughly enjoyed all the fascinating eye candy. Bloom makes my sweet tooth ache. I wasn't so thrilled with the dancing/ sword play during the marriage "ceremony", and could have done without the giant Calypso turning into a bunch of crabs.
The Pirate (can't think of his name) that always calls Elizabeth"Poppet" was in Orlando the other day and he said of the 2nd and 3rd movies that "it was really 1 movie with a 10 month intermission. You've gone to the bathroom and gotten something to eat and drink, now it's time to sit back and enjoy the rest." He is most definitely not a Brit and he said of his character "I'm basically Benjamin Franklin on crack!", which I thought uproariously funny when I saw the film. His character's name is Pintel. On another note - it is just me, or is one of the "comic relief" soldiers also Arthur Weasley in the HP movies? Davy Jones is Markus ( I think that's the character's name) from Underworld, I was just wondering about the Weasley thing. Does anyone know who he is? Boy I've used a plethora of parenthesis in this post.
[ May 26, 2007, 11:56 PM: Message edited by: JenniK ]
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Bill Nighy, yeah that was Markus.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
JenniK meant to say quotation marks in that thread not parenthesis...she had a blonde moment.
Posted by Mabus (Member # 6320) on :
Spoiler * * * * * Aw heck...it's in the title now...
I was terribly confused in the scene with Elizabeth. I was having trouble making out what the Chinese pirate was telling her, and I thought at that point that she was the real incarnation of Calypso. When they started doing the incantation, I was thinking, "Sorry guys--wrong woman!"
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I liiiiiiiked the movie. But I wish it had come with subtitles. I just couldn't understand some of what they were saying. But there were all these Johnny Depps! Multiple ones. And the story of Calypso and Davy Jones was soooo interesting. I thought it was better than the second, and the scene with the maelstrom was also very very cool.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
I saw it. And I really liked it. Had a lot of fun. Will definitely buy it on DVD.
Don't see what the critics are complaining about. I don't think it dragged at all. It was fun. And didn't seem too long.
Posted by Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged (Member # 7476) on :
Wait there was a scene after the credits? well in my theater we didn't even get credits the movie ended....and the lights came on...meh, oh well.
I was also mad they killed the guy from coupling what a waste
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
quote:Interesting you viewed it as Jack's version of Heaven, because I thought of it as his personal hell.
It was absolutely hell - he had the Pearl, but no water to sail her, so he was stuck in one place. That's definitely Jack's version of hell.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I think the whole thing with Jack would have been a LOT cooler if William, Elizabeth and the crew show up and you see the Pearl coming over the dunes and into the see with Jack on the mast. Would have matched the other cool entrances from the other two movies. Should have cut all that goofy crap with the multiple Jacks. Would have been a much better entrance.
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
But then we wouldn't have understood that he was in Hell. How can you cut that out?
edit: it's not actually Hell, I know, it's more like a limbo of punishment...thing.
Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
The opening scene was a gimmick that worked. I don't know if it was cheap, but I was in tears. The problem is the next hour and a half bored me to tears, until the wedding.
There were too many boring side-plots. These guys are pirates, why should I care if their way of life is preserved or in danger?
The actor who played Barbossa had a nice cadence to his lines, and I loved the fact that they didn't truncate the traditional the wedding ceremony. As soon as the Captain took the time to say, "Dearly beloved," I knew the next 5 minutes would be gold. I wish they would have made it longer.
I think 2 was the best, it was all wit and swordplay.
[ May 30, 2007, 11:48 PM: Message edited by: Irami Osei-Frimpong ]
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
On the "Dearly Beloved" line, a bunch of us in the audience started applauding.
Barbossa *owned* this movie.
Posted by Adam_S (Member # 9695) on :
The wedding scene makes me want to see it again, best on screen wedding ever, imo.
I wish my audience was more enthusiastic, I was very entertained, as was the audience, but I wanted them to really get into it.
Other than Giant calypso I don't have any major beefs with the movie, I thought it was well done and fascinating for a blockbuster to rely on dialogue to drive all the plot progression, rather than actions and setpieces.
I also think this makes the second movie (I considered it an okay movie but overall a disappointment) a better flick, sort of what Star Wars fans were hoping would happen post Phantom Menace, pre Attack of the Clones.
as for
quote:Wait there was a scene after the credits? well in my theater we didn't even get credits the movie ended....and the lights came on...meh, oh well.
Report that theatre to the MPAA! as someone in the industry myself, it's damned important that they show the credits, and they're contractually required too (like showing the Green or red 'rating' screen before all trailers), and face steep reprimends, penalties and eventually blacklisted if they continue cutting out the credits. Seriously, credit is more valuable than money in HollyWood and it's a topic that is taken to be of extreme importance. Moreso than picture or sound quality, I'd imagine, to the studio bosses that would have to deal with the union pressures and angry employees if they didn't respond.
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
After letting the whole thing sink in overnight, my two strongest feelings are:
1) One of bemused enjoyment, stemming from recognizing its pacing flaws and yet not really caring
2) One of desperately wanting to see it again, to see if what I enjoyed so much the first time around holds up under repeat viewings.
As often as I found myself going "what the...?" I still managed to have a smile plastered on my face for most of the experience. It was just so much FUN. I mean, even if the Pirate Brethren weren't the most sympathetic bunch of anti-heroes, I still was overwhelmed by the scene of them meeting...the detail to the individual characters, the dialogue that let it sink in who they all were, what parts of the world they represented.
I am not someone who goes to a movie for the "cool fight scenes," and yet among my favorite parts of this film were the one with Sao Feng's people in the beginning, and the wedding fight. As overblown as Beckett's death was, I LOVED it. I had to refrain myself from clapping and giggling like a little girl because it was just SO COOL TO WATCH. And Beckett is just a twisted little snot of a villain, and I loved him. I loved how there were about twenty villains, and all of them worked as villains even if they were all completely different. Barbossa, Jack, Davy Jones, Beckett, Norrington (in a sense), Beckett's nasty henchman, all the Pirate Brethren, Calypso, Sao Feng...
And i adored Jack's little descent (sorry, MAJOR descent) into the looney bin...I would watch the film again just to relive that. Or the wedding. Or Davey Jones and Calypso meeting again. Or Beckett's death. Or the scene with Elizabeth and her father. Or the scene where Will confronts Elizabeth. Or the parlay on the sand between the pirates and the East India Company. Or the gun-pointing scene. Or...quite possibly my favorite part...the black-out following the drop off the edge of the world, where all you hear is an amalgamation of audio clips from the original Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean: "Dead men tell no tales!" "Come on dearie, show 'em your larboard side!" I was so giddy at that part...
I want to see this again!!
I must find someone who will go with me...
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I would not mind seeing it again too, except i HATE THE OCEAN! Man I cannot abide the sea. I don't know WHY there has to be so much water because all it does is scare me... But i'd still see it anyway, and I don't really hate the ocean I just hated it on a day I was in wantaugh trying to see a concert and the ocean kept trying to cadge all the seats for itself.
Posted by Lissande (Member # 350) on :
quote:I was terribly confused in the scene with Elizabeth. I was having trouble making out what the Chinese pirate was telling her, and I thought at that point that she was the real incarnation of Calypso. When they started doing the incantation, I was thinking, "Sorry guys--wrong woman!"
That IS what he told her. I waited the entire rest of the movie for an explanation - why he thought that, oh by the way he was wrong, something. Elizabeth is awfully quiet in the incantation scene - shouldn't she be saying, wait, Chow Yun Fat told me...? It remains my biggest irritation with the movie, because in the end the whole scene was entirely contrived to somehow get Elizabeth the piece of eight (?) so the plot could advance with not even a pretense of making sense.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Beckett's death scene, to me, was one of the coolest scenes I have seen in a movie in a very, very long time. Usually I don't like that kind of overblown thing, and I really don't like slow motion like that either (part of what killed a piece of 300 was the excessive slow motion).
But I actually DID clap during that scene, I thought it was friggin awesome. Hollywood cinema (and Jerry Bruckheimer for that matter) at its best.
The only thing that would have made it better, would have been a cup of tea in Beckett's hand.
Posted by SC Carver (Member # 8173) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lissande:
quote:I was terribly confused in the scene with Elizabeth. I was having trouble making out what the Chinese pirate was telling her, and I thought at that point that she was the real incarnation of Calypso. When they started doing the incantation, I was thinking, "Sorry guys--wrong woman!"
That IS what he told her. I waited the entire rest of the movie for an explanation - why he thought that, oh by the way he was wrong, something. Elizabeth is awfully quiet in the incantation scene - shouldn't she be saying, wait, Chow Yun Fat told me...? It remains my biggest irritation with the movie, because in the end the whole scene was entirely contrived to somehow get Elizabeth the piece of eight (?) so the plot could advance with not even a pretense of making sense.
She knew she wasn't Calypso, but didn't argue with him so he wouldn't kill, or do other nasty things to her. Then happy surprise, your a Captain lord... Of course it was just the plot device, just like the convenient piece of info that it only takes the most votes to make one of them King. When everyone knows you would normally need a majority vote, not simply the most.
Of course it is hard to get upset about a movie where you can fall off the edge of the earth into Davy Jones Locker/ hell, and then somehow get back by flipping your ship over at sunset. There were a lot of plot devices to advance a complicated storyline.
Posted by Little_Doctor (Member # 6635) on :
All you had to see of this movie was the last 10-15 minutes. It's all betrayal and deal making until the final scene where everyone picks a side.
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
Well, that's all you had to see if all you cared about was plot.
However, plot was NOT why I was watching that movie.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
I think people who go into these movies expecting the next Ben-Hur are missing the point entirely. It's not about plot. This movies will be classics because they are just plain fun, popcorn movies with a sarcastic streak. Sometimes that's all you really need.
Posted by C3PO the Dragon Slayer (Member # 10416) on :
The reason I love all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies is that the plot goes back and forth and the end result is unanticipated, and emphasized even more when you watch it again to figure out what the whispery guys were saying.
Posted by Little_Doctor (Member # 6635) on :
I wasn't trying to say that I didn't enjoy the movie overall, I just thought they could have done a much better job with the plot.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
Question: Is seeing POC1 and POC2 a pre-requisite for POC3? I've seen the first one; my hasn't seen either one. And, thanks to the hype, my son now wants to see the third one for no real reason.
I know he won't care, but will it horribly confuse us adults?
Posted by Leonide (Member # 4157) on :
Yes?
It seems like it would be confusing to me, at least to someone who hasn't seen the second one.
Posted by Snail (Member # 9958) on :
quote:Originally posted by JenniK: On another note - it is just me, or is one of the "comic relief" soldiers also Arthur Weasley in the HP movies? Davy Jones is Markus ( I think that's the character's name) from Underworld, I was just wondering about the Weasley thing. Does anyone know who he is?
Arthur Weasley is Mark Williams from the Fast Show, the comic relief soldier is just some dude. They're not the same person.
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: I think the whole thing with Jack would have been a LOT cooler if William, Elizabeth and the crew show up and you see the Pearl coming over the dunes and into the see with Jack on the mast. Would have matched the other cool entrances from the other two movies. Should have cut all that goofy crap with the multiple Jacks. Would have been a much better entrance.
Nooooooooooooooo! You couldn't have cut that, it was the coolest sequence in the film. That and the stuff with the dead bodies floating past were surprisingly poignant moments in otherwise such a silly (not in a negative sense) film.
quote:Originally posted by SteveRogers: I think people who go into these movies expecting the next Ben-Hur are missing the point entirely. It's not about plot. This movies will be classics because they are just plain fun, popcorn movies with a sarcastic streak. Sometimes that's all you really need.
This I agree with except for the part of them being classics, as plain fun popcorn movies with a sarcastic streak tend to be those eventually forgotten in time as new plain fun popcorn movies with a sarcastic streak come along in the next decade, only with the next decade special effects as well.
Still, plain fun is plain fun while it lasts, and I greatly enjoyed the movie. Johnny Depp was spectacular as usual, and I also greatly enjoyed the other performances, especially Geoffrey Rush and Naomie Harris. Apart from the ones I already mentioned my favourite sequences were the wedding, the rocking of the ship and turning it upside down, the meeting between Calypso and Davy Jones, the pirates meeting Jack on the beach and the scene with everybody pointing their guns at everybody. I also liked the true meaning of the Dutchman legend.
My biggest disappointment was in the relationship between Davy Jones and Calypso, because their meeting was the scene with most emotional resonance to me in the movie. (Emotional resonance other than "Whoa! That was so cool I now have to collect my brains from the floor.") I expected some big pay-off to that but all we got was a cheesy giant woman and a whirpool.
I also could have done with less hangings and carnage in a film where it's a given that the comic sidekicks and the cute animals always survive. Also, I had a hard time buying into the pirate fight for freedom and not just because of Keira's screechy speech.
But these are minor quibbles. Overall, a good and an enjoyable film.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Agreed on the bodies/boats in the water, the scene with Elizabeth's father really hit me.
But the scene with jack and the stonecrabs, that was all ridiculous and goofy. I wish it had been later in the film, it would have been great for a bathroom break. Coming up over the sand with the music blaring would have been a fantastic entrance, minus the other junk.
Posted by Snail (Member # 9958) on :
I guess the multiple Jack/stonecrab sequence played better on my sense of humour than it did yours, but I found it pretty funny in an eerie, a bit understated way.
I also liked how it implied that despite everything, Jack's personal Hell was one where he was stuck just by himself, that he truly needed (and missed) other people. That being stuck on a desert alone was worse than being stuck there with his crew.
That whole sequence had a very Terry Gilliamish feel to it. And that's never a bad thing.
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