(no subject)
I saw PotC: At World’s End again, so it’s about high time I posted something on it. Spoilers ahoy! Ye be warned, mates.
First off, let me tell you that I love seeing Pirates in theaters and experiencing it that way, being able to laugh freely at the tiniest comedic points and feeding off of everyone’s enthusiasm. It was fantastic seeing Dead Man’s Chest when it came out; there was a full house and people applauded and cheered when Jack made his entrance. For this one, someone wolf whistled quite loudly at Kiera Knightley’s leg. *gigglesnerk*
I’ve made a habit of seeing each Pirates in theatres more than once. I love the complex plotting of these films and it usually takes me more than one viewing to fully comprehend it and appreciate it. I’ve seen the previous films three times in theatres each, and this one is definitely going to require a third. I’m still trying to totally sort out all the plotting and double crossing and ship-hopping that was going on in this one!
Following that vein of thought, I liked Will a lot more in this one. He was such an independent, motive-driven character, more along the lines of Jack in that he was more of an anti-hero than a heart-of-gold good guy. Double crossing Jack to achieve his own ends, yet still in love with Elizabeth. I also liked how the Will/Elizabeth relationship became more real, with doubt and anger and mistrust and misconceptions. It became much more three dimensional and less clichéd twoo luv. Then when he started to recognize the parallels between himself and Davy Jones and chose Elizabeth over his father… And Will totally got really hot in the last ten minutes. ;)
As for Elizabeth, I was glad that her reasons for getting Jack killed were clarified re: her relationship with Will, and that she’s still in love with him. I really like that ruthlessness in her! It seems as though Jack’s been rubbing off on Will and Elizabeth to his detriment. Like in the second, she got to kick butt in this movie, although I think she got to kick a little too much butt as far as the Calypso thing went, but I did like how she ended up as the pirate king. She certainly got around in this movie, what with Will and Jack from the previous two and now action with Sao Feng and Norrington. Every heterosexual!Elizabeth shipper wins!
Barbossa is one of my favorite villains and I’m glad he was brought back here. He’s such the quintessential pirate without being a total stereotype, and I love how he’s sly like Jack (i.e. misleading Sao Feng about Elizabeth being Calypso), but has a more competent rather than brilliantly-mad aura. Those two are really quite alike in many ways despite their character differences. He wasn’t the evil-leader-of-the-bad-guys!Barbossa that he was in the first film, but he’s the kind of villain I wouldn’t mind having to fight off all the time. Definitely the kind of villain that lasts and a worthy adversary. The marriage scene had me laughing: "I'm a little bit busy right now!" and "You may kiss...You may kiss...just kiss!"
I have to say I didn’t like Jack as much for most of this movie as I do in the others. I’ve always recognized that he’s a selfish character driven by mostly selfish motivations, but he seemed especially self-centered here. I didn’t quite like it that he was so willing to become immortal (and possibly tentacley) that he’d give up the Black Pearl and resign himself to the Dutchman after we spent the whole first movie trying to get the Pearl back and learning what she represents to him. True, he was essentially dead for a bit there, and does say that it changes one’s perspective. He completely redeemed himself in the end, though, when he gave up his chance at immortality to save Will’s life. That seems to be where Will and Elizabeth are rubbing off on him. I’m not sure how I feel about the multiple Jacks scenes. It’s a little scary inside Jack’s head, kind of like a piratical acid trip, but interesting and somewhat amusing to get that insight.
Beckett was his evil little self again. I don’t really have much to say on him, other than that the scene between him and Jack with the fan and all had me going “OMG so slashy!” Sao Feng…eh. Not very evil, not very good. Kind of a middle-ish guy.
And poor Norrington. He didn’t get enough screen time in this one, I think. I wish he’d had more to be either properly evil-side-ambitious-anti-pirate!Norrington or angsty-this-didn’t-work-out-as-I-thought!Norrington. And then he had to die! Why?! I felt for you when that happened, emmegan. On that same note, the scene where Elizabeth meets her father in between worlds was wrenching as well.
Overall, I don’t think I like this one as much as the other two. I might have to see it again to really decide, though, as Dead Man’s Chest grew on me after a while. I think what I missed the most was Jack’s grand entrance. He didn’t really have one here, but when he comes “sailing” in on the sand dune would’ve been pretty decent in the footsteps of his other entrances if it hadn’t been preceded by the multiple Jacks scene. What I also think this one lacked for me was the joy of discovering what new and exciting bit of supernatural they were going to create. Yes, there was the whole Calypso thing, but it didn’t have as much “wow” factor coming from a character that’s already been hanging around. I would’ve liked something new and different to ooh and ahh over, but this certainly was the third in a trilogy and as such loose ends had to be tied.
I did like how they brought in little bits from the previous films, like the dog with the keys and the sea turtles line and the two goofy marines arguing while Jack sneaks off the with goods. Keith Richards’ bit added flavor to the film, though not entirely necessary to the plot, and holy cow I though Jack had an over-the-top get up! Jack looked positively subdued next to Teague. Anyone get the rock crabs visual pun? I always love the music, too. I got goosebumps at the beginning when everyone started singing hoist the colors and the title was very dramatic in its simplicity. I adore the soundtrack and how that song carries through the rest of the music. This movie definitely had a darker theme, starting with the hanging and all, but I’m glad they managed to keep the light humor in, as well.
I love the scene where Jack and Barbossa are talking about the current state of the world. It hit me right there when Jack says, "The world's still the same. There's just less in it." *hug-squeeze Jack* And then I was waiting for the kraken to blink its eye and go all Jurassic Park on their asses, but no such luck. :P
As for the ending, I love how things came full circle with Barbossa making off with the Pearl and Jack chasing after in the dingy. But he was smarter about it this time, taking the chart from Barbossa! At least Jack learns from his mistakes. Looking back to the first movie, it’s interesting to see how Will and Elizabeth and changed while Jack and Barbossa are just picking up where they left off again. The little girl with the fascination for pirates becomes the pirate king; the boy in love with the girl who was vehemently against piracy takes the place of a pirate legend and assumes a love-based curse. If you didn’t stay for the scene after the credits you made a big mistake! I’m dying to know what happens during those ten years, seeing that Will Jr. Jr. needs a father figure and possesses a suspiciously Jack-like hat. *beats off plot bunnies*
If anyone needs a school project relating to this movie, here's an idea: the corruption of government in favor of corporate interests. (Last year I did a project on morality in Curse of the Black Pearl where I psychoanalized the main characters--"And Really Bad Eggs: How Disney Ruined its Standing as Moral Educator in Only One Shot." It got an A. *cheesy-proud smile*)
Okay, I think I’ve run out of things to say.
I love the Pirates movies dearly and will definitely be having a PotC marathon when this one comes out on DVD.
First off, let me tell you that I love seeing Pirates in theaters and experiencing it that way, being able to laugh freely at the tiniest comedic points and feeding off of everyone’s enthusiasm. It was fantastic seeing Dead Man’s Chest when it came out; there was a full house and people applauded and cheered when Jack made his entrance. For this one, someone wolf whistled quite loudly at Kiera Knightley’s leg. *gigglesnerk*
I’ve made a habit of seeing each Pirates in theatres more than once. I love the complex plotting of these films and it usually takes me more than one viewing to fully comprehend it and appreciate it. I’ve seen the previous films three times in theatres each, and this one is definitely going to require a third. I’m still trying to totally sort out all the plotting and double crossing and ship-hopping that was going on in this one!
Following that vein of thought, I liked Will a lot more in this one. He was such an independent, motive-driven character, more along the lines of Jack in that he was more of an anti-hero than a heart-of-gold good guy. Double crossing Jack to achieve his own ends, yet still in love with Elizabeth. I also liked how the Will/Elizabeth relationship became more real, with doubt and anger and mistrust and misconceptions. It became much more three dimensional and less clichéd twoo luv. Then when he started to recognize the parallels between himself and Davy Jones and chose Elizabeth over his father… And Will totally got really hot in the last ten minutes. ;)
As for Elizabeth, I was glad that her reasons for getting Jack killed were clarified re: her relationship with Will, and that she’s still in love with him. I really like that ruthlessness in her! It seems as though Jack’s been rubbing off on Will and Elizabeth to his detriment. Like in the second, she got to kick butt in this movie, although I think she got to kick a little too much butt as far as the Calypso thing went, but I did like how she ended up as the pirate king. She certainly got around in this movie, what with Will and Jack from the previous two and now action with Sao Feng and Norrington. Every heterosexual!Elizabeth shipper wins!
Barbossa is one of my favorite villains and I’m glad he was brought back here. He’s such the quintessential pirate without being a total stereotype, and I love how he’s sly like Jack (i.e. misleading Sao Feng about Elizabeth being Calypso), but has a more competent rather than brilliantly-mad aura. Those two are really quite alike in many ways despite their character differences. He wasn’t the evil-leader-of-the-bad-guys!Barbossa that he was in the first film, but he’s the kind of villain I wouldn’t mind having to fight off all the time. Definitely the kind of villain that lasts and a worthy adversary. The marriage scene had me laughing: "I'm a little bit busy right now!" and "You may kiss...You may kiss...just kiss!"
I have to say I didn’t like Jack as much for most of this movie as I do in the others. I’ve always recognized that he’s a selfish character driven by mostly selfish motivations, but he seemed especially self-centered here. I didn’t quite like it that he was so willing to become immortal (and possibly tentacley) that he’d give up the Black Pearl and resign himself to the Dutchman after we spent the whole first movie trying to get the Pearl back and learning what she represents to him. True, he was essentially dead for a bit there, and does say that it changes one’s perspective. He completely redeemed himself in the end, though, when he gave up his chance at immortality to save Will’s life. That seems to be where Will and Elizabeth are rubbing off on him. I’m not sure how I feel about the multiple Jacks scenes. It’s a little scary inside Jack’s head, kind of like a piratical acid trip, but interesting and somewhat amusing to get that insight.
Beckett was his evil little self again. I don’t really have much to say on him, other than that the scene between him and Jack with the fan and all had me going “OMG so slashy!” Sao Feng…eh. Not very evil, not very good. Kind of a middle-ish guy.
And poor Norrington. He didn’t get enough screen time in this one, I think. I wish he’d had more to be either properly evil-side-ambitious-anti-pirate!Norrington or angsty-this-didn’t-work-out-as-I-thought!Norrington. And then he had to die! Why?! I felt for you when that happened, emmegan. On that same note, the scene where Elizabeth meets her father in between worlds was wrenching as well.
Overall, I don’t think I like this one as much as the other two. I might have to see it again to really decide, though, as Dead Man’s Chest grew on me after a while. I think what I missed the most was Jack’s grand entrance. He didn’t really have one here, but when he comes “sailing” in on the sand dune would’ve been pretty decent in the footsteps of his other entrances if it hadn’t been preceded by the multiple Jacks scene. What I also think this one lacked for me was the joy of discovering what new and exciting bit of supernatural they were going to create. Yes, there was the whole Calypso thing, but it didn’t have as much “wow” factor coming from a character that’s already been hanging around. I would’ve liked something new and different to ooh and ahh over, but this certainly was the third in a trilogy and as such loose ends had to be tied.
I did like how they brought in little bits from the previous films, like the dog with the keys and the sea turtles line and the two goofy marines arguing while Jack sneaks off the with goods. Keith Richards’ bit added flavor to the film, though not entirely necessary to the plot, and holy cow I though Jack had an over-the-top get up! Jack looked positively subdued next to Teague. Anyone get the rock crabs visual pun? I always love the music, too. I got goosebumps at the beginning when everyone started singing hoist the colors and the title was very dramatic in its simplicity. I adore the soundtrack and how that song carries through the rest of the music. This movie definitely had a darker theme, starting with the hanging and all, but I’m glad they managed to keep the light humor in, as well.
I love the scene where Jack and Barbossa are talking about the current state of the world. It hit me right there when Jack says, "The world's still the same. There's just less in it." *hug-squeeze Jack* And then I was waiting for the kraken to blink its eye and go all Jurassic Park on their asses, but no such luck. :P
As for the ending, I love how things came full circle with Barbossa making off with the Pearl and Jack chasing after in the dingy. But he was smarter about it this time, taking the chart from Barbossa! At least Jack learns from his mistakes. Looking back to the first movie, it’s interesting to see how Will and Elizabeth and changed while Jack and Barbossa are just picking up where they left off again. The little girl with the fascination for pirates becomes the pirate king; the boy in love with the girl who was vehemently against piracy takes the place of a pirate legend and assumes a love-based curse. If you didn’t stay for the scene after the credits you made a big mistake! I’m dying to know what happens during those ten years, seeing that Will Jr. Jr. needs a father figure and possesses a suspiciously Jack-like hat. *beats off plot bunnies*
If anyone needs a school project relating to this movie, here's an idea: the corruption of government in favor of corporate interests. (Last year I did a project on morality in Curse of the Black Pearl where I psychoanalized the main characters--"And Really Bad Eggs: How Disney Ruined its Standing as Moral Educator in Only One Shot." It got an A. *cheesy-proud smile*)
Okay, I think I’ve run out of things to say.
I love the Pirates movies dearly and will definitely be having a PotC marathon when this one comes out on DVD.