potc: dead man's chest...
Sorry for not replying to any comments yesterday, but as you might know, I was at the cinema watching Pirates of the Caribbean - that is, The Curse of the Black Pearl AND Dead Man's Chest.
And here be the review I promised you.
First of all - and no, I'm not going to put that under a cut because it's no spoiler: They didn't change Norrington's character. At all. Everything he did was totally believable and fitted the portrayal of him from the first movie. At least that's my opinion as a critical and devoted Norrington fan. You can be assured that I paid attention to every scene he was in, and not just for the eye candy.
On the whole, the movie was great. The plot was original, there were many interesting new characters - and many (completely unexpected) new facets on old characters that it was most enjoyable to watch the movie. Oh, and there was slapstick. *LOL* Loads of it. I'm a sucker for that, you know?
At the beginning, I was already greatly amused by the fact that Jack was too busy fussing around and being all scared to command his own ship. It was adorable and funny. I only worried when later, Will and Elizabeth had to give the orders to defend Davy Jones. But more about that in a minute.
The best scene was when Jack was on the island with the natives and tried to escape. I guess a yummier roast never existed - especially not after the natives had thrown the vegetables on him (and on the stick). *giggles* And then, he fell down that cliff, through all the little bridges, and finally, he was free on the floor and the vegetables decorated the space around him. *LOL* I swear, I had a laughing fit during that scene. It was too hilarious.
This scene is closely followed by the one in which Jack, Norrington and Will have the swordfight and Elizabeth is just standing there, flailing around and then pretending to faint and nobody even cares. *guffaws* Brilliant. Also, the scene during the fighting, in which Jack reasons that it wasn't him but Will who destroyed Norrington's life is utter greatness. And Norrington can't do anything else but admit that Jack is right. *sporfles*
And the jar of dirt, of course. Especially when Jack got it from Tia Dalma. I swear, there must be Jack/Dirt fic. I'm sure that the jar of dirt has a personality - even without Davy Jones' heart in it. ;)
I'm sure there are more great scenes, but I really have to watch the movie again. When you first watch a movie, especially one with so many eye candy in it, you get easily distracted. *blush*
Now, let's move to the scenes I didn't find too great.
It all started with Elizabeth kissing Jack. There was the little hint of it when Jack, Norrington and Elizabeth were on the Pearl together, sailing to the island where the chest is buried, and I still don't get why Elizabeth was flirting with Jack then when she had just declined his (undoubtedly half-hearted) marriage proposal. Or was that before? Either way, it doesn't really make sense for me.
But what about the real kissing scene? Did she just do that to distract Jack? That would make me hate her even more than I did before. And again, she pretended to save the world but only acted for her own interests (which included Will).
She didn't really think that Jack would leave the Pearl behind? I mean, he couldn't fool anyone with his affirmation that she was only a ship, could he? And even though he's egocentric and a bit selfish, too, he rowed back to her when he acknowledged that his heart lies with her and that he, as her captain, should defend her or go down with her. But that apparently wasn't enough for Elizabeth. First she left Jack to die and then she moped about because he was gone. *sigh*
Oh, and am I the only one who felt a bit sick during the whole kraken story? Not because of that kraken, but because this time, it wasn't people dying for Elizabeth's whims, but for Jack's, and I wonder if that was intentional. The people on the - was it the Edinburgh? - had nothing to do with Jack, and neither did the Turks (were they Turks?) who accidentally found Jack's hat. Makes me worry. A LOT. And why? Because those scenes make Jack and Elizabeth too alike, and I can't quite stomach that.
Also, can I say that I found the ending way too abrupt? Not just because of the cliffhanger, but because the tension mounts and mounts and mounts at the end and then suddenly, it's over. Nothing after it but the credits (and the hilarious extra with the dog). Was that really necessary? Aren't we excited enough about World's End?
***
Having watched the German dubbing of The Curse of the Black Pearl right before Dead Man's Chest, I noticed some weird things. Either it's just me, or they really changed Norrington's German voice. The Farmer and I both cringed when we heard him speak in The Curse of the Black Pearl, but he had a deeper, more throaty voice in Dead Man's Chest and we stopped cringing. Of course, it still wasn't anything like Jack Davenport's "hello bedroom" voice, but it was a start.
I suppose I can't really say anything else on the dubbing before I've seen the English original. And I'm going to do that as soon as possible!
***
Let's start with the old characters, shall we?
- Jack Sparrow was brilliantly crazy during the whole movie. He had incredible mood swings - from scared to silly to serious to clever to ingenious to ... the whole shebang. And once again he was damn hot, no matter what he did - but I suppose that's a given with him anyway. ;)
The only strange moment (at least it seemed strange while I was watching the movie, it's all a bit clearer now) was when he left the Pearl behind and rowed towards the shore. He changed his mind in the end, but with the whole fandom stressing Jack's love to the Pearl, the idea of him leaving her just like that shocked me a little.
- Norrington, as I said, was dirty, scruffy, snarky - damn fucking sexy - and totally in character. Having heard a lot of opinions about him, I was particularly critical, but he totally convinced me. I don't know if "cute" is the right word, but I went all "aww" when I noticed that he was still clinging to the hope to restore his reputation. That really seems like him - never give up, even if the situation is horrible.
Oh, and he was the first person to actually figure Jack and his zeals out completely. The way he pitied Elizabeth because she didn't get that Jack had sold Will to Davy Jones was great. One more reason why I think that Jack and Norrington are made for each other. :)
I didn't quite get why he left the Navy, though. Was it because of the hurricane, because he apparently lost his (last) ship and a lot of men in it? But Swann said he left the Navy - he didn't say anything about a court-martial. And honestly, I can't see Norrington leaving the Navy out of cowardice because of what could happen to him.
Also, why did he want to join Jack's crew, exactly? He said something about having the chance to get a pardon from Beckett if he - yes, on what condition? I think it was in the movie, but I don't remember...
- I must say I was positively surprised that Will wasn't that annoying in Dead Man's Chest - despite being played by Orlando Bloom. He wasn't too stupid (but still stupid enough to trust Jack) and he wasn't all "I'm the most intelligent person in the world and everyone has to listen to what I say" - but I'll have to see the original to be completely certain of that. Let's just say that I would voluntarily watch the Will-scenes (or most of them) again. :D
- Elizabeth... Well, I don't like her. Never have. Keira Knightley is pretty in boy's clothes, but the character is just awful. How she left Port Royal without telling Governor Swann anything, how she left HIM to face the consequences in Port Royal - heartless. He cared enough about her to try to get her back to England. Bitch.
And she manipulated Jack in quite a horrible way in the end. That's just not fair.
The only unselfish thing she did was to hit Norrington with the bottle in the tavern - doesn't sound too unselfish, but I believe she did it to prevent Norrington from making a greater fool of himself than he had already done. And to stop his drinking.
Correct me, if you want.
- Pintel and Ragetti were surprisingly multi-faceted! Dammit, Ragetti was even - intelligent! Or seemed it, at least. And they're so cute together! I was glad to get to see so much of their characters! :)
- Gibbs and the rest of the already familiar characters were exactly like in the first movie. Oh, and it was very clever to say that some of Jack's crew had already left before the others were caught by the natives. Leaves a lot for the fans to decide. :)
Now, the new ones...
- Lord Cutler Beckett was so cute! Okay, he's supposed to be the baddie and he has a slight problem of megalomania (probably the compensation for his height), but he's adorable. The way he looked, the way he acted - and he had a quite high voice in the German dubbing. Awww! :D I want to pet him. Also, I can't help thinking that he's not the "main" baddie - but that there's a hierarchy in the East India Trading Company and that there is still someone above him. It's a bit hard to believe that a little man like Beckett has the whole East India Trading Company around his little finger.
- Tia Dalma... Can I just say that all the female PotC characters have been depressing so far? Knowing the Monkey Island series and the Voodoo Mama, I had expected more from the quite similar character in Dead Man's Chest. Tia Dalma was too flat for me, though. Her German voice was horrible. She wasn't as mysterious as one might think, just plain weird. Especially at the end when listened to all the moping for quite some time before she - oh, surprise, surprise - said that she could bring Jack back. WTF?
- Bootstrap Bill. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed. I had expected a more round character. Bill was very flat - he appeared and disappeared again, and till the end, I couldn't quite figure him out. He hinted at the fact that he left his wife and son to become a pirate, but that was just one sentence and the subject wasn't mentioned again. He said he became part of Davy Jones' crew voluntarily, but it doesn't really seem to matter for the plot. Also, Jack's and Bootstrap's meeting at the beginning doesn't really imply that they were close, does it?
One little thing: I would love to have known what happened to Governor Swann. A plotline they dropped entirely - after he agreed to Beckett's offer, that is. I'm hoping it'll be explained in the third movie.
So, and now I've rambled enough. ;)
And here be the review I promised you.
First of all - and no, I'm not going to put that under a cut because it's no spoiler: They didn't change Norrington's character. At all. Everything he did was totally believable and fitted the portrayal of him from the first movie. At least that's my opinion as a critical and devoted Norrington fan. You can be assured that I paid attention to every scene he was in, and not just for the eye candy.
On the whole, the movie was great. The plot was original, there were many interesting new characters - and many (completely unexpected) new facets on old characters that it was most enjoyable to watch the movie. Oh, and there was slapstick. *LOL* Loads of it. I'm a sucker for that, you know?
At the beginning, I was already greatly amused by the fact that Jack was too busy fussing around and being all scared to command his own ship. It was adorable and funny. I only worried when later, Will and Elizabeth had to give the orders to defend Davy Jones. But more about that in a minute.
The best scene was when Jack was on the island with the natives and tried to escape. I guess a yummier roast never existed - especially not after the natives had thrown the vegetables on him (and on the stick). *giggles* And then, he fell down that cliff, through all the little bridges, and finally, he was free on the floor and the vegetables decorated the space around him. *LOL* I swear, I had a laughing fit during that scene. It was too hilarious.
This scene is closely followed by the one in which Jack, Norrington and Will have the swordfight and Elizabeth is just standing there, flailing around and then pretending to faint and nobody even cares. *guffaws* Brilliant. Also, the scene during the fighting, in which Jack reasons that it wasn't him but Will who destroyed Norrington's life is utter greatness. And Norrington can't do anything else but admit that Jack is right. *sporfles*
And the jar of dirt, of course. Especially when Jack got it from Tia Dalma. I swear, there must be Jack/Dirt fic. I'm sure that the jar of dirt has a personality - even without Davy Jones' heart in it. ;)
I'm sure there are more great scenes, but I really have to watch the movie again. When you first watch a movie, especially one with so many eye candy in it, you get easily distracted. *blush*
Now, let's move to the scenes I didn't find too great.
It all started with Elizabeth kissing Jack. There was the little hint of it when Jack, Norrington and Elizabeth were on the Pearl together, sailing to the island where the chest is buried, and I still don't get why Elizabeth was flirting with Jack then when she had just declined his (undoubtedly half-hearted) marriage proposal. Or was that before? Either way, it doesn't really make sense for me.
But what about the real kissing scene? Did she just do that to distract Jack? That would make me hate her even more than I did before. And again, she pretended to save the world but only acted for her own interests (which included Will).
She didn't really think that Jack would leave the Pearl behind? I mean, he couldn't fool anyone with his affirmation that she was only a ship, could he? And even though he's egocentric and a bit selfish, too, he rowed back to her when he acknowledged that his heart lies with her and that he, as her captain, should defend her or go down with her. But that apparently wasn't enough for Elizabeth. First she left Jack to die and then she moped about because he was gone. *sigh*
Oh, and am I the only one who felt a bit sick during the whole kraken story? Not because of that kraken, but because this time, it wasn't people dying for Elizabeth's whims, but for Jack's, and I wonder if that was intentional. The people on the - was it the Edinburgh? - had nothing to do with Jack, and neither did the Turks (were they Turks?) who accidentally found Jack's hat. Makes me worry. A LOT. And why? Because those scenes make Jack and Elizabeth too alike, and I can't quite stomach that.
Also, can I say that I found the ending way too abrupt? Not just because of the cliffhanger, but because the tension mounts and mounts and mounts at the end and then suddenly, it's over. Nothing after it but the credits (and the hilarious extra with the dog). Was that really necessary? Aren't we excited enough about World's End?
***
Having watched the German dubbing of The Curse of the Black Pearl right before Dead Man's Chest, I noticed some weird things. Either it's just me, or they really changed Norrington's German voice. The Farmer and I both cringed when we heard him speak in The Curse of the Black Pearl, but he had a deeper, more throaty voice in Dead Man's Chest and we stopped cringing. Of course, it still wasn't anything like Jack Davenport's "hello bedroom" voice, but it was a start.
I suppose I can't really say anything else on the dubbing before I've seen the English original. And I'm going to do that as soon as possible!
***
Let's start with the old characters, shall we?
- Jack Sparrow was brilliantly crazy during the whole movie. He had incredible mood swings - from scared to silly to serious to clever to ingenious to ... the whole shebang. And once again he was damn hot, no matter what he did - but I suppose that's a given with him anyway. ;)
The only strange moment (at least it seemed strange while I was watching the movie, it's all a bit clearer now) was when he left the Pearl behind and rowed towards the shore. He changed his mind in the end, but with the whole fandom stressing Jack's love to the Pearl, the idea of him leaving her just like that shocked me a little.
- Norrington, as I said, was dirty, scruffy, snarky - damn fucking sexy - and totally in character. Having heard a lot of opinions about him, I was particularly critical, but he totally convinced me. I don't know if "cute" is the right word, but I went all "aww" when I noticed that he was still clinging to the hope to restore his reputation. That really seems like him - never give up, even if the situation is horrible.
Oh, and he was the first person to actually figure Jack and his zeals out completely. The way he pitied Elizabeth because she didn't get that Jack had sold Will to Davy Jones was great. One more reason why I think that Jack and Norrington are made for each other. :)
I didn't quite get why he left the Navy, though. Was it because of the hurricane, because he apparently lost his (last) ship and a lot of men in it? But Swann said he left the Navy - he didn't say anything about a court-martial. And honestly, I can't see Norrington leaving the Navy out of cowardice because of what could happen to him.
Also, why did he want to join Jack's crew, exactly? He said something about having the chance to get a pardon from Beckett if he - yes, on what condition? I think it was in the movie, but I don't remember...
- I must say I was positively surprised that Will wasn't that annoying in Dead Man's Chest - despite being played by Orlando Bloom. He wasn't too stupid (but still stupid enough to trust Jack) and he wasn't all "I'm the most intelligent person in the world and everyone has to listen to what I say" - but I'll have to see the original to be completely certain of that. Let's just say that I would voluntarily watch the Will-scenes (or most of them) again. :D
- Elizabeth... Well, I don't like her. Never have. Keira Knightley is pretty in boy's clothes, but the character is just awful. How she left Port Royal without telling Governor Swann anything, how she left HIM to face the consequences in Port Royal - heartless. He cared enough about her to try to get her back to England. Bitch.
And she manipulated Jack in quite a horrible way in the end. That's just not fair.
The only unselfish thing she did was to hit Norrington with the bottle in the tavern - doesn't sound too unselfish, but I believe she did it to prevent Norrington from making a greater fool of himself than he had already done. And to stop his drinking.
Correct me, if you want.
- Pintel and Ragetti were surprisingly multi-faceted! Dammit, Ragetti was even - intelligent! Or seemed it, at least. And they're so cute together! I was glad to get to see so much of their characters! :)
- Gibbs and the rest of the already familiar characters were exactly like in the first movie. Oh, and it was very clever to say that some of Jack's crew had already left before the others were caught by the natives. Leaves a lot for the fans to decide. :)
Now, the new ones...
- Lord Cutler Beckett was so cute! Okay, he's supposed to be the baddie and he has a slight problem of megalomania (probably the compensation for his height), but he's adorable. The way he looked, the way he acted - and he had a quite high voice in the German dubbing. Awww! :D I want to pet him. Also, I can't help thinking that he's not the "main" baddie - but that there's a hierarchy in the East India Trading Company and that there is still someone above him. It's a bit hard to believe that a little man like Beckett has the whole East India Trading Company around his little finger.
- Tia Dalma... Can I just say that all the female PotC characters have been depressing so far? Knowing the Monkey Island series and the Voodoo Mama, I had expected more from the quite similar character in Dead Man's Chest. Tia Dalma was too flat for me, though. Her German voice was horrible. She wasn't as mysterious as one might think, just plain weird. Especially at the end when listened to all the moping for quite some time before she - oh, surprise, surprise - said that she could bring Jack back. WTF?
- Bootstrap Bill. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed. I had expected a more round character. Bill was very flat - he appeared and disappeared again, and till the end, I couldn't quite figure him out. He hinted at the fact that he left his wife and son to become a pirate, but that was just one sentence and the subject wasn't mentioned again. He said he became part of Davy Jones' crew voluntarily, but it doesn't really seem to matter for the plot. Also, Jack's and Bootstrap's meeting at the beginning doesn't really imply that they were close, does it?
One little thing: I would love to have known what happened to Governor Swann. A plotline they dropped entirely - after he agreed to Beckett's offer, that is. I'm hoping it'll be explained in the third movie.
So, and now I've rambled enough. ;)