On Vox: ... at world's end
The new Pirates of the Caribbean is two hours and forty-five minutes long. We travel from Singapore to the North Pole, from the Underworld to the open seas. So many characters, so many stories, so many witty one-liners, so many Jack Sparrows (more on that later) and they all come together in an EPIC movie of love, freedom, and surprisingly, honor. And this time, Elizabeth Swan is fierce, shedding all her girlish pouting, Will Turner is cunning, Barbossa is on the good side and Jack Sparrow is still mad as a hatter. The film has lost none of the goofy physical humor or farcical non sequiturs of the first two but it has acquired deeper undercurrents of nuanced and complicated relationships between the characters. Saying "shades of gray" would seem redundant. There seems to be more than just survival at stake and it feels as though the pirates make a last stand not against just laws, but in the spirit of freedom and rebellion in the face of ruthless order and commercialism (the East India Co.... greedy barbarism in the guise of civilized trade). From the mournful and solemn beginning at the hangman's noose with a rousing rendition of a song called "Hoist the Colors", to the cannon-blasting finale, this movie is about freedom, unfettered and on one's own terms. The pirate code may not address honor, but in their own way, the pirates maintain theirs (of course until the temptation to run or steal gets too high). The nonchalance with which they do truly heroic acts, and the lightness with which they regard honor speaks to our cynical time. Without revealing too much, betrayal, illusion, passionate love, insanity, and a desperation to aspire to eternity... all these themes intertwine through the plot. And for all those critics' complaining about a confusing plot.. it's a pirate movie for God's sakes.. you think they're going to wreak organized mayhem?? And the plot isn't all that confusing though it does go into some interesting and emotional tangents. Norrington has his moment of sacrifice, Davy Jones reveals his human side, Tia Dalma is amazing and complex, Barbossa surprises with his authenticity, Swan comes into her own (putting in her most likable, heroic and fiercely powerful role yet.. which is saying a lot since I couldn't stand her in the first or second), Will Turner stands for what he believes and discovers new strength (though his dialogues were few and far between, this is the most memorable he's been.. the strong and silent type) and Jack... well, he's Captain Jack Sparrow, mate. The cinematography and special effects are completely stunning (look out for the ice cliffs and maelstroms), the soundtrack unobtrusive and the dialogues much better than the previous one. Though it's still too soon to judge whether this one is better than the first, I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it, the humor, the darkness, the pirates, the mayhem... all of it.
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