Get It Off Your (Dead Man's) Chest: Pirates Movie Reviews - Page 7

Ghoulish Delight · 07-10-2006, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

Something I missed...

Swann handcuffs Jack to the ship? Why? Didn't he just return Han Solo style and helped save them?

I was going to say "because she knew the Kraken would follow him if he came along"...but then it ocurred to me that it wasn't exactly following him as he started to row away. Hmmmm....

LSPoorEeyorick · 07-10-2006, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

Something I missed...

Swann handcuffs Jack to the ship? Why? Didn't he just return Han Solo style and helped save them?

I though it was because the Kraken was after Jack and Jack alone-- and since the Kraken doesn't seem to be ALL that bright, would probably not have gone after Jack's rowboat (but WOULD go after the Pearl.) If Jack alone was on the Pearl, the Kraken would have had no reason to go after the rest of the crew. If Jack loaded them on the rowboat and boarded with them (as I suspect he was going to do) then the Pearl AND the rowboat would have been attacked once Davy Jones realized Sparrow wasn't onboard the sunken Pearl.

Clear as mud? Yep.

I too was befuddled by the implied Jack/Elizabeth. Ecch.

Gemini Cricket · 07-10-2006, 08:49 AM

Clear as coffee... er... rum.

Alex · 07-10-2006, 09:05 AM

The kraken doesn't seem to be very discriminating. After all, the first boat we see it destroy was simply in possession of Jack's hat.

The Top 214 All-Time Leaders for Biggest Drop In Second Weekend Box Office as Percentage of First Weekend Box Office.

#1 for a movie that made more than $50 million its first weekend is Hulk (40th overall) which dropped 70% the next weekend. That is powerfully bad word of mouth. #2 (72nd overall) for films over $50 million is X-Men: The Last Stand which dropped 66%. #3 (132nd) is 2 Fast 2 Furious. #4 (140th) is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

If you're watching the box office game is that PotCCM will probably pass Superman Returns in overall box office after today doing in 4 days what that movie did in 12. Superman's 58% second-weekend drop will not get it onto the list above.

scaeagles · 07-10-2006, 09:11 AM

What a great listing. Fun to read. Thanks, Alex.

Mary Blairiffic · 07-10-2006, 09:13 AM

I liked it. I wasn't blown away, but really enjoyed it.

Capt. Jack -- not as many funny moments, but still a delight and sexy as all spit. His entrance is creepy and brilliant and funny all at the same time.

Those Pretty British Kids -- felt like there was even more of a storyline for them, although they're rarely together in the film. And Keira's got moxie!

Davy Jones -- stole the show for me. Bill Nighy acted so believably through what has to be the most original use of CGI and make-up I've ever seen.

The Flying Dutchman -- I kept thinking, "How can they incorporate THIS into the ride?!" Flippin' awesome.

Make-up, Special Effects, Art Direction: ALL must be nominated for Oscar, or else the Academy should meet the fate of many of Davy Jones's victims.

Hoodoo -- I really liked how they incorporated this into the story. I hope they'll continue using this through the 3rd installment. Loved the Blue Bayou and kept listening for the banjo, but knew it wouldn't be there.

My only negative comment is that #2 felt like a warm-up in some ways to the third and final installment. I know they filmed 2 and 3 at the same time, so this sorta makes sense. But I left with a feeling that I should be able to tune in tomorrow to see the next episode. Instead I'll have to wait at least a year, so that made me poopy.

All in all, if you weigh a little less Johnny vs. a whole lotta Davy Jones and company, it makes for a film just as good as the first.

Oh -- and the kraken.

I am witlessly afraid of Monstro. I'm afeared of any big underwater creature who might swallow my whole house. I needed to take many deep breaths when the kraken reared its tentacles.

Alex · 07-10-2006, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Instead I'll have to wait at least a year, so that made me poopy.

Only 11 months. They've decided to open At World's End over Memorial Day weekend.

Mary Blairiffic · 07-10-2006, 09:28 AM

Number Three opens Memorial Day weekend '07? Oh goodie. Thanks for letting me know, Alex!

Ghoulish Delight · 07-10-2006, 09:20 AM

Going back to Alex's proposal that it's simply the repetition of the same style vs. an actual change/drop in quality that those of us who don't like it are perceiving...I heartily disagree. While I think I would have disliked Dead Man's Chest less if it were the first installment, I never would have liked it as much as I like the actual first movie. There is a qualitative difference between the two that goes beyond a lack of newness. Punchlines instead of humor. Plot, instead of storytelling. Charicatures instead of characters. And an overall theory of "bigger/more must be better".

Eliza Hodgkins 1812 · 07-10-2006, 11:05 AM

NOT using spoiler tags...

It was disappointing, too plot-oriented, not as beautifully filmed, and repeated too many of the first movie's brilliant jokes. But I enjoyed myself. Had a good time. And as a 2.5 hour preview for the third movie, I AM still looking forward to it. I have a feeling, once the first wave of disappointment has run its course, I'll enjoy it upon second viewing. Expectations for this movie were awfully high, after all.

I LOVED Bill Nighy and his Davey Jones character. And the Cracken (sp?) is a great monster, but it's too bad that its fight with the Black Pearl wasn't the first time we see the monster in full. The teaser, where it cracks the first ship into the water, as if it just sucks it in, was scary. And then the second battle where we see the monster revealed is great. But you go for a climax that includes that very same kind of battle, and it loses it's impact. That was a problem. (Though I wouldn't trade it in, since I totally loved the image of Sparrow running into it headlong. That was fantastic.)

I didn't really mind the film being darker than the first, and what I mean by darker is showing some more of Sparrow's true colors. I don't really find it all that hard to believe that he would sacrifice a friend. Sets up his redemption, anyhow. I am totally into the love triange and am not embarrassed to admit it. I continue to dig Captain Norrington (liked what they did with him). I like that the compass that shows what your heart wants the most seems to point to Sparrow (when Elizabeth holds it). Because I don't think it is JUST Jack that it's pointing to; it's her freedom. I think she'd take a life on the high seas over tea in a parlor room any day of the week. And when she said, "I am so ready to be married," I'm pretty sure she was talking about the beast with two backs. J. Sparrow seemed pretty sure, as well. Heh.

Sparrow represents all she secretly desires, the foil being that he's still capable of great cowardice and disloyalty...Until, of course, he comes back. And god bless the way that scene was shot, with the low angle, the sun beaming down and her all curled up around his legs. Hah!

She's then figured out what the Cracken really wants, and she condems him for it. That was a nice twist, I think. And if SHE is what he wants most in the world (his return to the ship, we assume, is based on the compass pointing her way, or the Pearl's, way), it seems likely that he fell in love with her the moment she shackled him to the mast. Calling her a pirate, after all, was probably the biggest compliment he could bestow on a women.

And since Will was always, to me, the most boring character (though I *like* him), him getting a bit of the shaft in the sequel didn't really bother me all that much.

I'm surprised by anyone who wasn't at least expecting a love triangle to develop. There was no way they were going to ignore the possibility of at least an attraction over the course of three movies, and there was - IMO - enough chemistry between Depp and Knightley (even in the first one) to justify exploring their potential. And it's easy enough for me to enjoy the flirtation, since I *don't* see that kind of chemistry between her and Bloom. And he's the less interesting character to watch.

Then Geoffrey Rush, who I love, gets the last scene. I figured it'd be him when I saw the man's boots in the bayou hut. (Loved that nab from the ride.) I figured he would survive by the monkey stealing the treasure again. At the end of the first movie, all the treasure is returned so the curse is broken. If someone else comes along to steal the treasure, only they'd be cursed. So if the monkey took a coin and gave it to a dying...dying...very nearly fully dead Barbossa, he could easily be made immortal again. His wounds would heal. And then he'd just have to return the small amount of coinage he and the monkey had. Though it appears the monkey got away with a coin anyway. I assume, apple-bite and all, that Barbossa is mortal this time around. So, YAY!

As for the third movie, I did hear one thing (not content specific, but I'll use spoiler tags):

Spoiler:

07-10-2006, 09:11 AM	#5
scaeagles I LIKE! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,819	What a great listing. Fun to read. Thanks, Alex.
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07-10-2006, 09:13 AM	#6
Mary Blairiffic Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: The greater Chicagoland area Posts: 77	Yo Ho! Thar be sexy pirates ahead ... and slimy ones I liked it. I wasn't blown away, but really enjoyed it. Capt. Jack -- not as many funny moments, but still a delight and sexy as all spit. His entrance is creepy and brilliant and funny all at the same time. Those Pretty British Kids -- felt like there was even more of a storyline for them, although they're rarely together in the film. And Keira's got moxie! Davy Jones -- stole the show for me. Bill Nighy acted so believably through what has to be the most original use of CGI and make-up I've ever seen. The Flying Dutchman -- I kept thinking, "How can they incorporate THIS into the ride?!" Flippin' awesome. Make-up, Special Effects, Art Direction: ALL must be nominated for Oscar, or else the Academy should meet the fate of many of Davy Jones's victims. Hoodoo -- I really liked how they incorporated this into the story. I hope they'll continue using this through the 3rd installment. Loved the Blue Bayou and kept listening for the banjo, but knew it wouldn't be there. My only negative comment is that #2 felt like a warm-up in some ways to the third and final installment. I know they filmed 2 and 3 at the same time, so this sorta makes sense. But I left with a feeling that I should be able to tune in tomorrow to see the next episode. Instead I'll have to wait at least a year, so that made me poopy. All in all, if you weigh a little less Johnny vs. a whole lotta Davy Jones and company, it makes for a film just as good as the first. Oh -- and the kraken. I am witlessly afraid of Monstro. I'm afeared of any big underwater creature who might swallow my whole house. I needed to take many deep breaths when the kraken reared its tentacles.
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07-10-2006, 09:28 AM	#8
Mary Blairiffic Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: The greater Chicagoland area Posts: 77	Number Three opens Memorial Day weekend '07? Oh goodie. Thanks for letting me know, Alex!
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07-10-2006, 09:20 AM	#9
Ghoulish Delight I Floop the Pig Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alternative Swankstyle Posts: 19,348	Going back to Alex's proposal that it's simply the repetition of the same style vs. an actual change/drop in quality that those of us who don't like it are perceiving...I heartily disagree. While I think I would have disliked Dead Man's Chest less if it were the first installment, I never would have liked it as much as I like the actual first movie. There is a qualitative difference between the two that goes beyond a lack of newness. Punchlines instead of humor. Plot, instead of storytelling. Charicatures instead of characters. And an overall theory of "bigger/more must be better". __________________ 'He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.' -TJ
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07-10-2006, 11:05 AM	#10
Eliza Hodgkins 1812 Sputnik Sweetheart Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Long Beach Posts: 2,685	NOT using spoiler tags... It was disappointing, too plot-oriented, not as beautifully filmed, and repeated too many of the first movie's brilliant jokes. But I enjoyed myself. Had a good time. And as a 2.5 hour preview for the third movie, I AM still looking forward to it. I have a feeling, once the first wave of disappointment has run its course, I'll enjoy it upon second viewing. Expectations for this movie were awfully high, after all. I LOVED Bill Nighy and his Davey Jones character. And the Cracken (sp?) is a great monster, but it's too bad that its fight with the Black Pearl wasn't the first time we see the monster in full. The teaser, where it cracks the first ship into the water, as if it just sucks it in, was scary. And then the second battle where we see the monster revealed is great. But you go for a climax that includes that very same kind of battle, and it loses it's impact. That was a problem. (Though I wouldn't trade it in, since I totally loved the image of Sparrow running into it headlong. That was fantastic.) I didn't really mind the film being darker than the first, and what I mean by darker is showing some more of Sparrow's true colors. I don't really find it all that hard to believe that he would sacrifice a friend. Sets up his redemption, anyhow. I am totally into the love triange and am not embarrassed to admit it. I continue to dig Captain Norrington (liked what they did with him). I like that the compass that shows what your heart wants the most seems to point to Sparrow (when Elizabeth holds it). Because I don't think it is JUST Jack that it's pointing to; it's her freedom. I think she'd take a life on the high seas over tea in a parlor room any day of the week. And when she said, "I am so ready to be married," I'm pretty sure she was talking about the beast with two backs. J. Sparrow seemed pretty sure, as well. Heh. Sparrow represents all she secretly desires, the foil being that he's still capable of great cowardice and disloyalty...Until, of course, he comes back. And god bless the way that scene was shot, with the low angle, the sun beaming down and her all curled up around his legs. Hah! She's then figured out what the Cracken really wants, and she condems him for it. That was a nice twist, I think. And if SHE is what he wants most in the world (his return to the ship, we assume, is based on the compass pointing her way, or the Pearl's, way), it seems likely that he fell in love with her the moment she shackled him to the mast. Calling her a pirate, after all, was probably the biggest compliment he could bestow on a women. And since Will was always, to me, the most boring character (though I like him), him getting a bit of the shaft in the sequel didn't really bother me all that much. I'm surprised by anyone who wasn't at least expecting a love triangle to develop. There was no way they were going to ignore the possibility of at least an attraction over the course of three movies, and there was - IMO - enough chemistry between Depp and Knightley (even in the first one) to justify exploring their potential. And it's easy enough for me to enjoy the flirtation, since I don't see that kind of chemistry between her and Bloom. And he's the less interesting character to watch. Then Geoffrey Rush, who I love, gets the last scene. I figured it'd be him when I saw the man's boots in the bayou hut. (Loved that nab from the ride.) I figured he would survive by the monkey stealing the treasure again. At the end of the first movie, all the treasure is returned so the curse is broken. If someone else comes along to steal the treasure, only they'd be cursed. So if the monkey took a coin and gave it to a dying...dying...very nearly fully dead Barbossa, he could easily be made immortal again. His wounds would heal. And then he'd just have to return the small amount of coinage he and the monkey had. Though it appears the monkey got away with a coin anyway. I assume, apple-bite and all, that Barbossa is mortal this time around. So, YAY! As for the third movie, I did hear one thing (not content specific, but I'll use spoiler tags): Spoiler: I read somewhere that the ending of the third movie is so shocking, the audience will be begging for more movies (and the possibility for more has been left open). I can't really speculate what that will mean, but I do wonder if Elizabeth will go off to become a pirate in her own right. It would be a way to leave the triange unresolved... Last edited by Eliza Hodgkins 1812 : 07-10-2006 at 11:27 AM.
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07-10-2006, 08:49 AM	#3
Gemini Cricket ... Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 13,244	Clear as coffee... er... rum.
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07-10-2006, 09:05 AM	#4
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	The kraken doesn't seem to be very discriminating. After all, the first boat we see it destroy was simply in possession of Jack's hat. The Top 214 All-Time Leaders for Biggest Drop In Second Weekend Box Office as Percentage of First Weekend Box Office. #1 for a movie that made more than $50 million its first weekend is Hulk (40th overall) which dropped 70% the next weekend. That is powerfully bad word of mouth. #2 (72nd overall) for films over $50 million is X-Men: The Last Stand which dropped 66%. #3 (132nd) is 2 Fast 2 Furious. #4 (140th) is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. If you're watching the box office game is that PotCCM will probably pass Superman Returns in overall box office after today doing in 4 days what that movie did in 12. Superman's 58% second-weekend drop will not get it onto the list above.
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