Meowbooks' Long Lost Review of Pirates of the Caribbean:On Stranger Tides
Yes, it's months overdue. Oh well. I've crossed it off my to-do-list and that's what matters...
I watched a matinee of On Stranger Tides on it’s opening weekend. Afterwards, I rewatched The Curse of the Black Pearl. This review has taken me a while to finish. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say about On Stranger Tides. I’m still not sure. While I was watching it I was pumped up and enjoying the opportunity to spend more time with Jack and Gibbs and Barbossa. I scribbled notes by light of the theater screen in my notebook hoping what I wrote would be legible when I returned to the well lit mall outside of the theater doors.There were many things I loved, but as the post-credits scene rolled I knew something was missing. I was happy, yes, still riding on the aftershock waves of the adventure and the echoes of music and words. In the days that followed, I read the chatter on KTTC, commented a bit, and typed up the thoughts I had scribbled in a Word document. I kept adding to it, and adding to it, then I was sidetracked by Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman and life and I looked back and said, "Oh fiddlesticks! I still haven't posted that thing!"
On Stranger Tides did some things wonderfully. After the post-credits scene, I wanted more. That, is one of the problems. There were many things that worked. There was also a feeling of incompleteness as if they started creating new characters and situations out of smoke, but stopped before they solidified with depth and feeling. There were hints and possibilities and if they’d had more time to develop it would’ve been glorious. I’ll return to this thought, but now I’ll actually talk about what happened.
London filled with people was a treat. It was a very different from any of the other on land scenes we’ve had. And Dame Judi Dench in an amusing cameo? I suppose Jack merely wanted to add to his legend by charming a lady and stealing her earring. The palace guards’ uniforms were a fancy and fun break from piratey grime. I also enjoyed the funny scene with a father describing that a trial came first and the hanging comes later. The jeering at Gibbs, the howling of those against pirates: It’s a bit of dark humor and it opened up more of the world the PotC universe is set in. We were pretty much mired merely in the “Pirates are the heroes” point of view in AWE. DMC hinted a bit at the other middle-ground view towards piracy with the captain of the Edinburgh Trader profiting from Tortuga. CotBP had much more balance with people we could root for on both the Navy/Civilized side and the pirate side.
OST opened the window back up with Groves and Gillette’s return and to a lesser degree with Phillip. I won’t say Barbossa. I think everyone was guessing he’d probably be back to his pirating ways before long. Groves and Gillette showed concern for their fellow Navymen and loyalty to their country. Groves also displayed his middle ground admiration for daring and inventive ideas-pirate or not- once again. Phillip the missionary was a glimpse of the world outside of the ruthlessness of piracy, lies, and violence.
There was, of course, no lack of pirate shenanigans.Teague was fantastic in his short cameo.And Jack is always most interesting when he’s squirming. On the Queen Anne’s Revenge, he wasn’t captain, and even in his disadvantaged state he organized a mutiny. “We’ve been decepted?” The mutiny was one instance in which he was thinking a few steps ahead…in the wrong direction.
I cheered when Gibbs was thinking ahead in the right direction.“Yay! Clever Gibbs! You burn that map!” We’ve seen him be a master storyteller, slightly superstitious, a loyal soul, a fighter, and a source of comedic moments, but this was his moment to shine as a surviving, ol’ scoundrel in his own right. It was so lovely a moment Jack had to forgive him for stealing the map. When I thought about the situation Gibbs had been in it made sense. Gibbs didn’t want to go back to prison or the hangman’s noose. If Jack’s plan failed, he’d have a bartering chip. If the plan succeeded, he’d be at Jack’s side anyway or he could return the map.As Jack said in CotBP, he did what was right by him and you couldn’t expect more than that.
Barbossa’s seagulls conversation and poison frog sword were lovely reminders of how he was once called a man so evil hell spat him back out. I think Barbossa switching sides in AWE/OST was perfectly in character with that man from CotBP. He’s on whatever side will benefit him and his motives the most. Groves just can’t catch a break when it comes to new commanding officers since Norrington, can he? One thing I realized after rewatching CotBP was Gillette had more screen time and lines in CotBP than Groves and Groves had more memorable moments than Gillette in AWE/OST .
Jack's fact telling to thin air was an odd almost 4th wall breaking moment. It did make me smile, though. And they just HAD to have Gibbs with another pig. I wished Gibbs had more screentime, but perhaps Jack wanted Gibbs out of harm's way. A Jack Sparrow apology saying,“I’m sorry for failing to rescue you.” I also enjoyed seeing Gibbs knowing “freedom” meant the Pearl and his initiative in acquiring the fleet. :D And as for the goat comment...wasn't there a goat in every movie? CotBP: Goat on the boat DMC:Goat on the bar? AWE: Goat-Jack
Was there a goat in OST? Is that a T&T running joke?
Speaking of running jokes...I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get Jack slapping Marina or whichever mermaid it was.
What I missed, oh what I missed was Jack taken seriously. In the first movie, he wasn’t treated as a joke. He had his clever moments, but there were also moments he was vulnerable: on the island talking about the Pearl and the moment the camera held on Jack’s face after killing Barbossa. In OST, there was merely a short line about how the sacrifice for the fountain made him less inclined to want the waters. The decision Jack made to save Angelica was a flicker. I don’t think they spent enough time with Jack in those moments.
Angelica and Jack's chemistry was there, mates. Kudos to Cruz and Depp. And I agree, it was when they were bickering with each other not when they were not so subtly throwing innuendo at each other.I liked the fact that in the other movies it would go over little kid's heads. I have nothing against innuendo and when it's done well I don't mind it at all. Jack's line, "It should be a dress or nothing.I happen to have no dress in my cabin." was roguish and delivered well. I think marooning Angelica on a well traveled trade route was perfectly in character for Jack. He can’t trust her, but Jack isn’t a ruthless man. of
The Blackbeard and Angelica father-daughter relationship resonated with me less. Intellectually, I understand Angelica wanted to save her father's soul, wanted to have a father, but I feel more could have been done to establish these desires besides her saying "I never had a father!"
Blackbeard was fierce, but after CotBP Barbossa and Davy Jones it didn't have the same power. I think if they had started the movie with him terrorizing Barbossa and crew it would've helped the legend movie wise. I personally like that they didn't explain the sword or the ship shrinking. His sword controls ships? Got it. That's awesome. :D He can magically shrink ships? That's wickedly cool.I do hope we get to see Barbossa back in his wicked ways with his new mystic ship...
I saw plenty of potential in Phillip and Syrena, but as others have said I don't think they were given enough time to establish the connection and the themes they were toeing the water with or flesh them out properly.
The mermaids were pitch perfectly creepy and hauntingly beautiful.The otherworldly quality, the Sailor song, the vicious teeth, the snarling, flails out of the water--it was such a lovely take on the she-sea-devil side of them. I think the only other place I've seen mermaids with real teeth in a film was in the Peter Pan (2003) starring Jason Issacs. The zombies were less fantastic. More compliant? Stab resistant? The undead pirates of CotBP were more effectively supernatural and zombie-ish visually in an engaging way.
I appreciate Groves had things to do such as saving Barbossa and standing up for his country, but if he died it's Norrington to a lesser degree all over again. The death would be pointless. I’m not sure whether or not it was suppose to be funny. It would be saddening for Gillette to be back only to die without a mermaid quip. Which is why I truly, truly hope they’re not dead…call me ever an optimist, but it worked with Gillette after not seeing him. And Shark Bait’s theory gives me hope. (Which in short was, since Gillette and Groves were pulled away in the background instead of merely being left like some of the other dead, they could still be alive.)And if Murtogg and Mullroy come back, for goodness sakes DON'T KILL THEM.
The Spanish? Why didn't they speak Spanish when amongst themselves? I understand why they'd be speaking English in front of the English, but we can deal with subtitles. Really. We can handle it. The Spanish also had potential as baddies. I hope we see the one who said something like "Make a note of that man's bravery" again.
Okay, so what do I think of OST?
THE SHORT VERSION
Jack and Gibbs and Barbossa? YAAAAAY TO INFINITY AND BEYOND.
Angelica, Blackbeard, Phillip, Syrena? It's like they're half finished, man. I can see they have potential, but what's missing?
Mermaids? Vicious, dreadful, beautiful and they kick-ass.(Excuse my not-French...)
Zombies? *snore*
Gillette and Groves? They be awesome.Don't be killin' the Navymen! *hopes they live*
Verdict? WHOOO. That was fun. Wait, I want more...Stop teasing us and give us what we want! What do I want? Fun and complex characters...Oh and adventure. And stop killing the Navy.
I watched a matinee of On Stranger Tides on it’s opening weekend. Afterwards, I rewatched The Curse of the Black Pearl. This review has taken me a while to finish. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say about On Stranger Tides. I’m still not sure. While I was watching it I was pumped up and enjoying the opportunity to spend more time with Jack and Gibbs and Barbossa. I scribbled notes by light of the theater screen in my notebook hoping what I wrote would be legible when I returned to the well lit mall outside of the theater doors.There were many things I loved, but as the post-credits scene rolled I knew something was missing. I was happy, yes, still riding on the aftershock waves of the adventure and the echoes of music and words. In the days that followed, I read the chatter on KTTC, commented a bit, and typed up the thoughts I had scribbled in a Word document. I kept adding to it, and adding to it, then I was sidetracked by Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman and life and I looked back and said, "Oh fiddlesticks! I still haven't posted that thing!"
On Stranger Tides did some things wonderfully. After the post-credits scene, I wanted more. That, is one of the problems. There were many things that worked. There was also a feeling of incompleteness as if they started creating new characters and situations out of smoke, but stopped before they solidified with depth and feeling. There were hints and possibilities and if they’d had more time to develop it would’ve been glorious. I’ll return to this thought, but now I’ll actually talk about what happened.
London filled with people was a treat. It was a very different from any of the other on land scenes we’ve had. And Dame Judi Dench in an amusing cameo? I suppose Jack merely wanted to add to his legend by charming a lady and stealing her earring. The palace guards’ uniforms were a fancy and fun break from piratey grime. I also enjoyed the funny scene with a father describing that a trial came first and the hanging comes later. The jeering at Gibbs, the howling of those against pirates: It’s a bit of dark humor and it opened up more of the world the PotC universe is set in. We were pretty much mired merely in the “Pirates are the heroes” point of view in AWE. DMC hinted a bit at the other middle-ground view towards piracy with the captain of the Edinburgh Trader profiting from Tortuga. CotBP had much more balance with people we could root for on both the Navy/Civilized side and the pirate side.
OST opened the window back up with Groves and Gillette’s return and to a lesser degree with Phillip. I won’t say Barbossa. I think everyone was guessing he’d probably be back to his pirating ways before long. Groves and Gillette showed concern for their fellow Navymen and loyalty to their country. Groves also displayed his middle ground admiration for daring and inventive ideas-pirate or not- once again. Phillip the missionary was a glimpse of the world outside of the ruthlessness of piracy, lies, and violence.
There was, of course, no lack of pirate shenanigans.Teague was fantastic in his short cameo.And Jack is always most interesting when he’s squirming. On the Queen Anne’s Revenge, he wasn’t captain, and even in his disadvantaged state he organized a mutiny. “We’ve been decepted?” The mutiny was one instance in which he was thinking a few steps ahead…in the wrong direction.
I cheered when Gibbs was thinking ahead in the right direction.“Yay! Clever Gibbs! You burn that map!” We’ve seen him be a master storyteller, slightly superstitious, a loyal soul, a fighter, and a source of comedic moments, but this was his moment to shine as a surviving, ol’ scoundrel in his own right. It was so lovely a moment Jack had to forgive him for stealing the map. When I thought about the situation Gibbs had been in it made sense. Gibbs didn’t want to go back to prison or the hangman’s noose. If Jack’s plan failed, he’d have a bartering chip. If the plan succeeded, he’d be at Jack’s side anyway or he could return the map.As Jack said in CotBP, he did what was right by him and you couldn’t expect more than that.
Barbossa’s seagulls conversation and poison frog sword were lovely reminders of how he was once called a man so evil hell spat him back out. I think Barbossa switching sides in AWE/OST was perfectly in character with that man from CotBP. He’s on whatever side will benefit him and his motives the most. Groves just can’t catch a break when it comes to new commanding officers since Norrington, can he? One thing I realized after rewatching CotBP was Gillette had more screen time and lines in CotBP than Groves and Groves had more memorable moments than Gillette in AWE/OST .
Jack's fact telling to thin air was an odd almost 4th wall breaking moment. It did make me smile, though. And they just HAD to have Gibbs with another pig. I wished Gibbs had more screentime, but perhaps Jack wanted Gibbs out of harm's way. A Jack Sparrow apology saying,“I’m sorry for failing to rescue you.” I also enjoyed seeing Gibbs knowing “freedom” meant the Pearl and his initiative in acquiring the fleet. :D And as for the goat comment...wasn't there a goat in every movie? CotBP: Goat on the boat DMC:Goat on the bar? AWE: Goat-Jack
Was there a goat in OST? Is that a T&T running joke?
Speaking of running jokes...I'm a bit disappointed we didn't get Jack slapping Marina or whichever mermaid it was.
What I missed, oh what I missed was Jack taken seriously. In the first movie, he wasn’t treated as a joke. He had his clever moments, but there were also moments he was vulnerable: on the island talking about the Pearl and the moment the camera held on Jack’s face after killing Barbossa. In OST, there was merely a short line about how the sacrifice for the fountain made him less inclined to want the waters. The decision Jack made to save Angelica was a flicker. I don’t think they spent enough time with Jack in those moments.
Angelica and Jack's chemistry was there, mates. Kudos to Cruz and Depp. And I agree, it was when they were bickering with each other not when they were not so subtly throwing innuendo at each other.I liked the fact that in the other movies it would go over little kid's heads. I have nothing against innuendo and when it's done well I don't mind it at all. Jack's line, "It should be a dress or nothing.I happen to have no dress in my cabin." was roguish and delivered well. I think marooning Angelica on a well traveled trade route was perfectly in character for Jack. He can’t trust her, but Jack isn’t a ruthless man. of
The Blackbeard and Angelica father-daughter relationship resonated with me less. Intellectually, I understand Angelica wanted to save her father's soul, wanted to have a father, but I feel more could have been done to establish these desires besides her saying "I never had a father!"
Blackbeard was fierce, but after CotBP Barbossa and Davy Jones it didn't have the same power. I think if they had started the movie with him terrorizing Barbossa and crew it would've helped the legend movie wise. I personally like that they didn't explain the sword or the ship shrinking. His sword controls ships? Got it. That's awesome. :D He can magically shrink ships? That's wickedly cool.I do hope we get to see Barbossa back in his wicked ways with his new mystic ship...
I saw plenty of potential in Phillip and Syrena, but as others have said I don't think they were given enough time to establish the connection and the themes they were toeing the water with or flesh them out properly.
The mermaids were pitch perfectly creepy and hauntingly beautiful.The otherworldly quality, the Sailor song, the vicious teeth, the snarling, flails out of the water--it was such a lovely take on the she-sea-devil side of them. I think the only other place I've seen mermaids with real teeth in a film was in the Peter Pan (2003) starring Jason Issacs. The zombies were less fantastic. More compliant? Stab resistant? The undead pirates of CotBP were more effectively supernatural and zombie-ish visually in an engaging way.
I appreciate Groves had things to do such as saving Barbossa and standing up for his country, but if he died it's Norrington to a lesser degree all over again. The death would be pointless. I’m not sure whether or not it was suppose to be funny. It would be saddening for Gillette to be back only to die without a mermaid quip. Which is why I truly, truly hope they’re not dead…call me ever an optimist, but it worked with Gillette after not seeing him. And Shark Bait’s theory gives me hope. (Which in short was, since Gillette and Groves were pulled away in the background instead of merely being left like some of the other dead, they could still be alive.)And if Murtogg and Mullroy come back, for goodness sakes DON'T KILL THEM.
The Spanish? Why didn't they speak Spanish when amongst themselves? I understand why they'd be speaking English in front of the English, but we can deal with subtitles. Really. We can handle it. The Spanish also had potential as baddies. I hope we see the one who said something like "Make a note of that man's bravery" again.
Okay, so what do I think of OST?
THE SHORT VERSION
Jack and Gibbs and Barbossa? YAAAAAY TO INFINITY AND BEYOND.
Angelica, Blackbeard, Phillip, Syrena? It's like they're half finished, man. I can see they have potential, but what's missing?
Mermaids? Vicious, dreadful, beautiful and they kick-ass.(Excuse my not-French...)
Zombies? *snore*
Gillette and Groves? They be awesome.Don't be killin' the Navymen! *hopes they live*
Verdict? WHOOO. That was fun. Wait, I want more...Stop teasing us and give us what we want! What do I want? Fun and complex characters...Oh and adventure. And stop killing the Navy.