At World's End
I saw it today. Before spewing my own personal IMHO-spoilerness, can I just have a moment to say:
I WAS NOT SPOILED!
It took me body-swerving lj for nearly two weeks and avoiding a couple of people who managed to make the premier, but I went in with nothing but the spoilers from the trailer. This is possibly the first time I've ever managed to avoid ALL spoilers for a movie/tv program/even sometimes books (yep -my will-power is that non-existant!)
Go me!
Now for the film...
I liked it. I really liked it. Unlike DMC which I liked, but didn't really start to like until the second time I saw it - I liked this from the off. As with DMC, I have to confess I went in with fairly low expectations. Being convinced I was going to be disappointed as I liked the first 2 films, and hearing a range of reviews that verged from - 'okay, but confusing' to 'just plain horrible', I was a little nervous.
No need to be whatsoever. Its bigger, darker, wetter and ties up all the loose ends in probably the best way it could.
So, the biggie. Norrington. Ah, Norrington, Norrington, Norrington. Of course, I wanted more Norrington - but then again I'm biased. And considering this was a film that gave everyone and his dog (in one case literally) a backstory and personal quest to wrap up its no surprise the secondary characters were a little limited in screen time. Despite being initially irritated with how previously kickass, resourceful, cynical, wily, snarky Norrington had somehow transmogrified into a wet, lovesick, drip mooning after Elizabeth again (worse so than his character in CotBP, at least then he still had power and wouldn’t have stood for all Beckett’s nonsense); as it all unfolded, it kind of came together. Jack Davenport was electric, all big eyes and tremerous voice, and so even drippy Norrington was sympathetic and did earn his redemption. Being unspoiled (still impresses the heck out of me!) Norrington's big scene worked so well. I had my suspicions that that was how it would go, but I wasn't sure they'd have the guts to actually do it - or at least if they did do it it would be awful. They did it, it happened, and to my mind it worked so, so very well. I'm the first to argue for more Norrington, but I'm glad he didn't take Elizabeth's offer. He got his honour back (though it took him long enough - with all the fannying around on the Dutchman he seems to have forgotten that Beckett was a nasty bit of stuff who would have no compunction to kill those who had outlived their usefulness), he and Elizabeth made their peace, his final act of defiance was great and, more importantly, he died with his hat on - Gawd love'im! In short, I was completely satisfied with the 12 seconds we saw him for.
Anyhoo, with the power of fanfic his demise will doubtless be short.
Other things I liked:
Jack Sparrow is back. Insane mind, but no longer the daft prat-faller from DMC. I liked the hallucinations, and I liked meeting the family!
Mercer's suitably nasty comeuppance.
Norrington’s sword and what happened to it <3
Beckett, officially the world's best pantomime baddie. I especially liked the tea drinking episodes. I have no idea why - they just seemed to resonate! :)
The monkey and parrot tag-team.
The final battle (though I couldn't hear a word of most of it!)
The return of Murtogg and Mullroy (yarrr!)
Gibbs (as ever), and Barbossa rocked!
I even liked Elizabeth and Will in places, and Will's fate was something I genuinely didn't expect but (as above) worked.
Wasn't that fussed with Tia Dalma, loved her, but what was she there for? She had buckets of potential but didn't really seem to do much. Similarly, Davy Jones and the pirate lords were underused (though I quite liked the idea of Elizabeth being king of the pirates). And poor, poor Governor Swann - underused and ever so slightly cheesy :(
On the whole liked, not as good as CotBP (really, could it be?) but miles better than DMC. I think it ended in the best way it could.
Happy sigh…
I WAS NOT SPOILED!
It took me body-swerving lj for nearly two weeks and avoiding a couple of people who managed to make the premier, but I went in with nothing but the spoilers from the trailer. This is possibly the first time I've ever managed to avoid ALL spoilers for a movie/tv program/even sometimes books (yep -my will-power is that non-existant!)
Go me!
Now for the film...
I liked it. I really liked it. Unlike DMC which I liked, but didn't really start to like until the second time I saw it - I liked this from the off. As with DMC, I have to confess I went in with fairly low expectations. Being convinced I was going to be disappointed as I liked the first 2 films, and hearing a range of reviews that verged from - 'okay, but confusing' to 'just plain horrible', I was a little nervous.
No need to be whatsoever. Its bigger, darker, wetter and ties up all the loose ends in probably the best way it could.
So, the biggie. Norrington. Ah, Norrington, Norrington, Norrington. Of course, I wanted more Norrington - but then again I'm biased. And considering this was a film that gave everyone and his dog (in one case literally) a backstory and personal quest to wrap up its no surprise the secondary characters were a little limited in screen time. Despite being initially irritated with how previously kickass, resourceful, cynical, wily, snarky Norrington had somehow transmogrified into a wet, lovesick, drip mooning after Elizabeth again (worse so than his character in CotBP, at least then he still had power and wouldn’t have stood for all Beckett’s nonsense); as it all unfolded, it kind of came together. Jack Davenport was electric, all big eyes and tremerous voice, and so even drippy Norrington was sympathetic and did earn his redemption. Being unspoiled (still impresses the heck out of me!) Norrington's big scene worked so well. I had my suspicions that that was how it would go, but I wasn't sure they'd have the guts to actually do it - or at least if they did do it it would be awful. They did it, it happened, and to my mind it worked so, so very well. I'm the first to argue for more Norrington, but I'm glad he didn't take Elizabeth's offer. He got his honour back (though it took him long enough - with all the fannying around on the Dutchman he seems to have forgotten that Beckett was a nasty bit of stuff who would have no compunction to kill those who had outlived their usefulness), he and Elizabeth made their peace, his final act of defiance was great and, more importantly, he died with his hat on - Gawd love'im! In short, I was completely satisfied with the 12 seconds we saw him for.
Anyhoo, with the power of fanfic his demise will doubtless be short.
Other things I liked:
Jack Sparrow is back. Insane mind, but no longer the daft prat-faller from DMC. I liked the hallucinations, and I liked meeting the family!
Mercer's suitably nasty comeuppance.
Norrington’s sword and what happened to it <3
Beckett, officially the world's best pantomime baddie. I especially liked the tea drinking episodes. I have no idea why - they just seemed to resonate! :)
The monkey and parrot tag-team.
The final battle (though I couldn't hear a word of most of it!)
The return of Murtogg and Mullroy (yarrr!)
Gibbs (as ever), and Barbossa rocked!
I even liked Elizabeth and Will in places, and Will's fate was something I genuinely didn't expect but (as above) worked.
Wasn't that fussed with Tia Dalma, loved her, but what was she there for? She had buckets of potential but didn't really seem to do much. Similarly, Davy Jones and the pirate lords were underused (though I quite liked the idea of Elizabeth being king of the pirates). And poor, poor Governor Swann - underused and ever so slightly cheesy :(
On the whole liked, not as good as CotBP (really, could it be?) but miles better than DMC. I think it ended in the best way it could.
Happy sigh…