PotC2 review.
Let's write this before I try to track other people's reviews down (although I'd really really appreciate it if those of you who have seen it and written about it could post a link to it here. The prospect of scrolling back through three weeks of entries to try and find back the reviews is more than daunting).
Overall....I guess I liked it. It was enjoyable, like watching an episode of a beloved TV show -- but nothing like being swooped by and into an incredible movie. I'd already noticed it when I finally saw the preview a week ago: it was like "Ah, yeah, why not?". I was delighted that Laurent and Charlotte wanted to go see it because I wasn't sure I'd go by myself, which is saying a lot. As it is, we thought that on a Thursday night in August there wouldn't be any queue, and when we got out of the restaurant all the tickets had already been sold, which meant we had to wait an hour and a half for the alternate screening. o.O
Of course, maybe seeing it with both my ears unplugged would have helped with the getting swooped into it, I'll admit (my ear seems to have an uncanny sixth sense about when to get plugged to cause maximum annoyance), but I don't think it'd have made things much better. I'll gladly go see it again with Laëtitia, but no more, and I certainly won't be jumping around waiting for number three. It was nice, but nice isn't exactly what I go see a movie like this for, y'know? If all three LOTR movies took my breath away, those should too, that's all I'm saying.
I thought the beginning was incredibly badly done; it felt so weird and disconnected that I seriously thought for a minute that maybe the projectionist had put the wrong reel first (even though I guess reels haven't been used in more than a decade). Was that just me? It felt like coming in the middle of the movie, it didn't pull me in at all, it just left me wondering what the hell had led each character there and why it was happening. It got better after about half an hour, I'd say, but even so it never really got my attention. I was both happy to be watching it, and wondering when it'd end (my sister said she almost fell asleep). When the end of the movie came, before the credits rolled in, I was thinking "WTF?? There can't be all that left! That movie's been going on forever!!". Then the credits rolled in and it didn't feel so much as a cliffhanger than a "Okay, well, we can't do a six-hours long movie so we'll just stop there, seems like a good enough place, and we'll see you again next year, alright?". Very badly constructed, I felt.
But then, the whole story was a bit of a yawn, seriously. I was happy to see things unfold but I had no real curiosity as to what would happen next, y'know? I felt it was crowded with superfluous stuff, and everything was stretched too long (I really hated the overall cannibal-scene, and the stuff with the swamp woman). I read somewhere that the problem was that everything that made the first opus amazing, mainly Johnny Depp's performance, was just no longer surprising the second time around, and I couldn't agree more.
I hated the "love-triangle". The only way this would be fun was if they were making it fun, with playful flirting and sexual tension in every direction (but the sexual tension between Jack and William was totally gone this time around, or did I miss it?), but they had to turn it into potential drama with Will keeping the rankour in and Elizabeth hating herself for sacrificing Jack and god, just thinking back about it makes me angry. My sister said "Yeah, but there's no comparison between Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom!", and of course there isn't, but that's not the point since Elizabeth is stupid enough to have fallen in love with Will in the first place. She's not even attracted to Jack because he's bad but because she's got that annoying trust that there's some good in him. So yeah, I cringed during the almost-kiss and even more during the kiss, wishing for it to be over with already.
As much as I love Keira, and despite her few good scenes (I was so happy she got to sword-fight! The idea of her disguised as a midshipman was more than lovely, and I loved her attempt at fainting to gain the guys' attention), her over-acting was really obvious here. She has to get control of her face, really! What is it with her teeth/jaw? I had no idea the Daniel Raddcliffe Syndrom was contagious!!
And to finish, I dearly wish the "vilain" wasn't the guy who played Mr Collins in Pride & Prejudice, because even before I got certain of where it was I had seen him before, my brain knew it was boring Mr Collins and wouldn't stop thinking it. It's the same with the guy who plays Cicero in Rome and who played Collins in the BBC version of P&P. Mr Collins is a doomed part if you ask me. *smirks*
Now for what I did like. :)
Jack Norrington is definitely in the list! God, being scruffy really suits him, doesn't it? I can only hope he'll play an even bigger part in number three.
The special effects were, as always, enchanting. Davy Jones was just beautiful, simply beautiful, as was the guy stuck to the wood of the boat (the one holding the lantern?). Those CGI guys are amazingly talented.
The same applies to the stunts. They bragged about them a lot, and with good reasons. The cages-stunts and the one in the big wheel were just out of this world. They really have the hang of what's original, and of intelligent choreograpies. I really have nothing bad to say about that aspect of the movie.
And overall, Jack was still real fun. I mean, it's Johnny Freaking Depp. He can't be bad. He did all he could with what he had and he did a good job of it. It's just too bad that we couldn't be surprised by Jack's antics anymore.
What else...... *coughs* Well, I think that about sums it up for the "what I liked" part.
I feel like such a kill-joy for being so lukewarm (if not downright negative), even though from the small non-spoilery things I saw on my FList this seems to be the general mood. I'd be delighted if upon seeing it again I found back all the enthusiasm I had for the first one! Those movies aren't made to be "nice", they're made to be loads of fun an excitement. Maybe Laëtita will make it more fun!
On a totally different note, my oh my how lovely Catherine Zeta-Jones looks in Ocean's Twelve. I think she's never looked so beautiful, actually. *longing sigh* Dear god, so beautiful...
And on another totally different note, Charlie dear, do you know what is coming out in the theaters at the end of August, for the first time ever? Nausicaä. They showed the preview before Pirates and I had tears in my eyes and my heart hiccuping behind my ribcage, I was just so happy. I might just cry the whole movie through when I get to see it. ♥♥♥
Overall....I guess I liked it. It was enjoyable, like watching an episode of a beloved TV show -- but nothing like being swooped by and into an incredible movie. I'd already noticed it when I finally saw the preview a week ago: it was like "Ah, yeah, why not?". I was delighted that Laurent and Charlotte wanted to go see it because I wasn't sure I'd go by myself, which is saying a lot. As it is, we thought that on a Thursday night in August there wouldn't be any queue, and when we got out of the restaurant all the tickets had already been sold, which meant we had to wait an hour and a half for the alternate screening. o.O
Of course, maybe seeing it with both my ears unplugged would have helped with the getting swooped into it, I'll admit (my ear seems to have an uncanny sixth sense about when to get plugged to cause maximum annoyance), but I don't think it'd have made things much better. I'll gladly go see it again with Laëtitia, but no more, and I certainly won't be jumping around waiting for number three. It was nice, but nice isn't exactly what I go see a movie like this for, y'know? If all three LOTR movies took my breath away, those should too, that's all I'm saying.
I thought the beginning was incredibly badly done; it felt so weird and disconnected that I seriously thought for a minute that maybe the projectionist had put the wrong reel first (even though I guess reels haven't been used in more than a decade). Was that just me? It felt like coming in the middle of the movie, it didn't pull me in at all, it just left me wondering what the hell had led each character there and why it was happening. It got better after about half an hour, I'd say, but even so it never really got my attention. I was both happy to be watching it, and wondering when it'd end (my sister said she almost fell asleep). When the end of the movie came, before the credits rolled in, I was thinking "WTF?? There can't be all that left! That movie's been going on forever!!". Then the credits rolled in and it didn't feel so much as a cliffhanger than a "Okay, well, we can't do a six-hours long movie so we'll just stop there, seems like a good enough place, and we'll see you again next year, alright?". Very badly constructed, I felt.
But then, the whole story was a bit of a yawn, seriously. I was happy to see things unfold but I had no real curiosity as to what would happen next, y'know? I felt it was crowded with superfluous stuff, and everything was stretched too long (I really hated the overall cannibal-scene, and the stuff with the swamp woman). I read somewhere that the problem was that everything that made the first opus amazing, mainly Johnny Depp's performance, was just no longer surprising the second time around, and I couldn't agree more.
I hated the "love-triangle". The only way this would be fun was if they were making it fun, with playful flirting and sexual tension in every direction (but the sexual tension between Jack and William was totally gone this time around, or did I miss it?), but they had to turn it into potential drama with Will keeping the rankour in and Elizabeth hating herself for sacrificing Jack and god, just thinking back about it makes me angry. My sister said "Yeah, but there's no comparison between Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom!", and of course there isn't, but that's not the point since Elizabeth is stupid enough to have fallen in love with Will in the first place. She's not even attracted to Jack because he's bad but because she's got that annoying trust that there's some good in him. So yeah, I cringed during the almost-kiss and even more during the kiss, wishing for it to be over with already.
As much as I love Keira, and despite her few good scenes (I was so happy she got to sword-fight! The idea of her disguised as a midshipman was more than lovely, and I loved her attempt at fainting to gain the guys' attention), her over-acting was really obvious here. She has to get control of her face, really! What is it with her teeth/jaw? I had no idea the Daniel Raddcliffe Syndrom was contagious!!
And to finish, I dearly wish the "vilain" wasn't the guy who played Mr Collins in Pride & Prejudice, because even before I got certain of where it was I had seen him before, my brain knew it was boring Mr Collins and wouldn't stop thinking it. It's the same with the guy who plays Cicero in Rome and who played Collins in the BBC version of P&P. Mr Collins is a doomed part if you ask me. *smirks*
Now for what I did like. :)
Jack Norrington is definitely in the list! God, being scruffy really suits him, doesn't it? I can only hope he'll play an even bigger part in number three.
The special effects were, as always, enchanting. Davy Jones was just beautiful, simply beautiful, as was the guy stuck to the wood of the boat (the one holding the lantern?). Those CGI guys are amazingly talented.
The same applies to the stunts. They bragged about them a lot, and with good reasons. The cages-stunts and the one in the big wheel were just out of this world. They really have the hang of what's original, and of intelligent choreograpies. I really have nothing bad to say about that aspect of the movie.
And overall, Jack was still real fun. I mean, it's Johnny Freaking Depp. He can't be bad. He did all he could with what he had and he did a good job of it. It's just too bad that we couldn't be surprised by Jack's antics anymore.
What else...... *coughs* Well, I think that about sums it up for the "what I liked" part.
I feel like such a kill-joy for being so lukewarm (if not downright negative), even though from the small non-spoilery things I saw on my FList this seems to be the general mood. I'd be delighted if upon seeing it again I found back all the enthusiasm I had for the first one! Those movies aren't made to be "nice", they're made to be loads of fun an excitement. Maybe Laëtita will make it more fun!
On a totally different note, my oh my how lovely Catherine Zeta-Jones looks in Ocean's Twelve. I think she's never looked so beautiful, actually. *longing sigh* Dear god, so beautiful...
And on another totally different note, Charlie dear, do you know what is coming out in the theaters at the end of August, for the first time ever? Nausicaä. They showed the preview before Pirates and I had tears in my eyes and my heart hiccuping behind my ribcage, I was just so happy. I might just cry the whole movie through when I get to see it. ♥♥♥