| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Chris C |
Posted - 05/24/2007 : 23:16:00
Just got back from watching the film tonight. No spoilers, at least in this post. I'll post some more thoughts at a later time.
Had a great time, really enjoyed the film, and it measures up well against the first two. Depp's first appearance on screen is visually the best part. The story is (generally) moved on at a good pace, but could have lost a little bit from the middle third of the film. The fight scenes are well choreographed, special effects aren't over the top, Keith Richards looks good, and all in all it's a lot of fun.
Go see it when you get the chance. |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| damalc |
Posted - 05/30/2007 : 06:29:46
i know a lot of people have ripped Barbosa's scene chewing, but i LOVE it.
i rate this one in the middle, not as good as 1, better than 2.
way too long, and not enough swordfighting. MORE SWORDPLAY! that's the backbone of any good swashbuckling film.
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| MisterBadIdea |
Posted - 05/28/2007 : 21:35:43
The characters' motivations are simplified but not quite to a fault, in my opinion, and no one ever quite acts out of character (save possibly Will Turner, whose motivations confused and frustrated me throughout). After the surprisingly puny Shrek the Third, I've concluded that I prefer my summer movies big and bloated, even if to a fault. Overambitious, too much spectacle, but far superior to Shrek 3.
Of the movie's sins, I'd say the lack of a A-plot is the biggest, with the decision to make Cap'n Jack no more or less important than any of the other characters a close second. Still, this movie cuts deeper than the other two below the surface, even if it's not quite as good above the surface.
The plot is so heavy that the film has filled it with comedy to relieve the tension. But the extreme weight necessitates a great lot of comic relief, and eventually the seams begin to show.
I was honestly surprised at how affecting the conclusion to Will and Elizabeth's romance was, considering how short-shrifted it got in the bulk of the picture. |
| rabid kazook |
Posted - 05/28/2007 : 21:23:57
quote:
Originally posted by BaftaBabe
quote:
Originally posted by rabid kazook
Or generally some decent movies. Releases of Cannes movies seem moths away. 
RK -- I LOVE 'moths away' - unintentional, I know, but brilliant! 
I love your insertion of the 'rabid'.  |
| BaftaBaby |
Posted - 05/28/2007 : 18:16:33
quote:
Originally posted by rabid kazook
Or generally some decent movies. Releases of Cannes movies seem moths away.
RK -- I LOVE 'moths away' - unintentional, I know, but brilliant!
Anyway - Here's my take on the film:
Back in the rabid witch-hunt days of the cold war 1950s many Hollywood filmmakers 'smuggled' political observations into westerns, crime thrillers, and other genre movies because it was the only way the studios could let them through without being accused of fomenting or encouraging subversion. Although there are certainly no direct parallels between then and now, there is enough recent evidence of some extraordinary re-evaluations of social change to have prompted some filmmakers taking a quasi-political stance - whether of a left or right wing sensibility - within the boundaries of popular culture movies.
Without giving anything away, director Gore Verbinski would never have offered the opening scene of the third in the POTC franchise unless he were making a point wider than one about 18th century piracy. And for those who wish to see them, there are sufficient references throughout this tale of adventures driven by military protection of commercial trading interests, which draw attention to the aimless muddle into which some contemporary world leaders have directed events.
That said, one can set that whole deconstructionist approach aside and take the film on its most immediate level - that of the third in a sequel of high sea adventures heavily spiced with a dollop of magical realism. The kind of territory so happily inhabited by the most potent mythologies of our ancestors from all cultures. Also, at such a level, this kind of film lends itself to spectacular displays of special effects and offers a platform for technical viruosity in the key departments of sound, music, and editing. Although there should be equal opportunity for facility in screenwriting and acting, sadly it's those two areas which let the film down. Primarily it's the fault of a screenplay which is so eager to prove its credentials that it muddles the details of a story which actually proves to be a thin tale, packing it so full of the trappings of bureaucracy there's little room left for wit or character.
Actually there are some witty visual ideas, such as Sparrow's stir crazy hallucinations, the alter egos of his thought processes. And there is some truly wonderful spectacle, which will undoubtedly suffer by comparison with the first film which was still able to take us by surprise. We're now sated. Give us more, we cry. And when we unwrap the prezzie, we toss it aside with a sneer, "Is that it?! Hunh!"
But the dialogue is clunky and the story ain't so much a story as a series of convoluted incidents leading to inevitabilities, and the promise of even more. But more what? More of the same, I'm betting. Meanwhile, the film will rake in the shekels and the parents will have somewhere to take the kiddies on a rainy afternoon. So that's all right, then.
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| rabid kazook |
Posted - 05/28/2007 : 17:37:47
quote:
Originally posted by benj clews
Are we going to get a decent blockbuster this year? 
Or generally some decent movies. Releases of Cannes movies seem moths away. |
| w22dheartlivie |
Posted - 05/28/2007 : 08:13:11
I haven't seen it yet. I'm still trying to lasso someone into taking me to the theater (since any of them are 15-20 miles away). I was a little let down by POTC2, but I chose to see it as the middle part of a trilogy, and I've always found the middle part to be a bit of a lull. It was true for the Matrix films, the Lord of the Rings films, and the first trilogy of Star Wars (this is my opinion, mind you). I did feel like POTC2 ended rather abruptly, but it's Johnny Depp, and I forgive Johnny a LOT. Having said that, I will buy the trilogy on DVD when they release it, as I am positive Disney will do.
I was a bit annoyed this evening reading through a couple online reviews when they gave much too much of the plot away. Thanks to them, I understand the Keith Richards' wife comment, and know too much about the outcome for Will and Elizabeth. I gave them a sound thrashing for giving away the entire plot. I don't think I mind that Richards is oddly placed because it seems fitting and proper that he was worked into it at all. Depp owes him about $50 million for Jack Sparrow. |
| TitanPa |
Posted - 05/28/2007 : 07:05:13
quote:
Originally posted by Se�n
quote:
Originally posted by benj clews
Well, looks like it's shaping up to be a doozy of a summer: Spider-man 3 completely misfired, Shrek the Third not all that funny, Pirates 3: At Wit's End bewilderingly overblown.
Are we going to get a decent blockbuster this year?
Watch Monsturd. I'm serious. I enjoyed it much more than POTC2 and Spiderman 3. It was funny and never got even remotely close to boring. And FX quality per dollar spent totally blows those other two out of the water. Monsturd's FX was probably 100,000 times better per dollar spent. 
Im beginning to think your their new PR manager. |
| benj clews |
Posted - 05/27/2007 : 12:27:19
quote:
Originally posted by Se�n
quote:
Originally posted by benj clews
Well, looks like it's shaping up to be a doozy of a summer: Spider-man 3 completely misfired, Shrek the Third not all that funny, Pirates 3: At Wit's End bewilderingly overblown.
Are we going to get a decent blockbuster this year?
Watch Monsturd. I'm serious. I enjoyed it much more than POTC2 and Spiderman 3. It was funny and never got even remotely close to boring. And FX quality per dollar spent totally blows those other two out of the water. Monsturd's FX was probably 100,000 times better per dollar spent.
That's it... I'm sold! |
| Sean |
Posted - 05/27/2007 : 12:25:53
quote:
Originally posted by benj clews
Well, looks like it's shaping up to be a doozy of a summer: Spider-man 3 completely misfired, Shrek the Third not all that funny, Pirates 3: At Wit's End bewilderingly overblown.
Are we going to get a decent blockbuster this year?
Watch Monsturd. I'm serious. I enjoyed it much more than POTC2 and Spiderman 3. It was funny and never got even remotely close to boring. And FX quality per dollar spent totally blows those other two out of the water. Monsturd's FX was probably 100,000 times better per dollar spent. |
| Sean |
Posted - 05/27/2007 : 12:23:18
quote:
Originally posted by MisterBadIdea
Anyone here who didn't like Spider-Man 3 better have at this stupid film with both barrels, because everything Spider-Man 3 is accused of, At World's End does so, so much worse.
I honestly think I liked the second movie more. But maybe I'm just tired of this series at this point.
I finally got around to watching POTC2 last week, given POTC3 was on the way. I was pretty damn bored. Really didn't think it was worth the bother. FX were good, not much else was. From the sound of it, most seem to think POTC3 is a bit better than 2, but nowhere near as good as 1. So I think I'll wait for the DVD, if I bother at all. Then I'll launch into it with both barrells.  |
| benj clews |
Posted - 05/27/2007 : 12:21:18
Well, looks like it's shaping up to be a doozy of a summer: Spider-man 3 completely misfired, Shrek the Third not all that funny, Pirates 3: At Wit's End bewilderingly overblown.
Are we going to get a decent blockbuster this year? |
| MisterBadIdea |
Posted - 05/27/2007 : 06:31:16
Anyone here who didn't like Spider-Man 3 better have at this stupid film with both barrels, because everything Spider-Man 3 is accused of, At World's End does so, so much worse.
I honestly think I liked the second movie more. But maybe I'm just tired of this series at this point. |
| Mr Savoir Faire |
Posted - 05/26/2007 : 20:51:34
quote:
Originally posted by Conan The Reporter
quote:
Originally posted by duh
quote:
Originally posted by Chris C
Keith Richards looks good,
That would be the first time.
His wife looked better.
lol
I didn't see a reason for him to be in the film. It opens up plot holes. If he is the father of Sparrow (even though his last name is different?!?) then why did Sparrow not know that there was a keeper of the code? And why did he have an anachronistic guitar?
This film was okay. Overly cheesy in parts (*cough* Keira Knightley *cough*) and nonsensical in others (*sneeze* anything to do with the land of the dead *sneeze*) but visually entertaining. Much better than the second, but not nearly as good as the first.
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| Conan The Westy |
Posted - 05/26/2007 : 05:16:18
quote:
Originally posted by duh
quote:
Originally posted by Chris C
Keith Richards looks good,
That would be the first time.
His wife looked better. |
| duh |
Posted - 05/25/2007 : 13:59:42
quote:
Originally posted by Chris C
Keith Richards looks good,
That would be the first time. |
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