A variant on Plot? What Plot? Because PotC2 had, arguably, too much plot. The pitfalls lay in the characterizations. And oh how the mighty have fallen
( Read more... )
Bits of it were, but nothing like as consistently as the first. Hippediva hit that nail - they tried to write a comedy, instead of letting the actors run off with a straight script, and that's what caused the silliness, your aptly pointed out Cartoon!Jack. Though sadly, some people liked the Jack kebab :-(
The subtlety in Jack was missing from this one - the first film leaves you ever-wondering if he's really that selfish, or if he's just manipulative and devious enough to know things would play out in everyone's favour eventually. The second drops that, and he's no more than a self-involved bastard. An amusing one, sometimes, but still a bastard.
a gratuitous body count never, ever earns brownie points with me.
That depends on the film for me. A heavy action Rodriguez flick, which is all about the violence - absolutely. In this, it doesn't belong.
self-serving characters make for tedious viewing.
Unless they're played by an actor who can really run off with the role. Not many people can get away with it, and
( ... )
Hippediva hit that nail - they tried to write a comedy, instead of letting the actors run off with a straight script
Ooh yes, that's it exactly. I was trying to pin that down all the way back from the theater...
Though sadly, some people liked the Jack kebab
I was kind of grateful that the audience I was in with didn't laugh overmuch at the parts I thought too childish for words. Not that I want to begrudge other people their entertainment, but it's nice not to be made to feel quite so much like a damned intellectual stick-in-the-mud. In fact, I didn't hear many real laughs at all -- a lot of snickers and giggles...
Not many people can get away with it, and certainly not half of any cast.Exactly. Maybe I overstated myself... because one self-serving character, done well and with enough variety of cast to back them up, makes for great storytelling. PotC 1 had that with Jack, flanked by too-honorable-for-piracy Will, feminist-pirate-fangirl Elizabeth and wigged!Norrington. The transition to Will being the standalone straight man (
( ... )
"It's an undead monkey" did! - that, I think was the funniest thing of all, and that's because he played it so straight and blase XD
I have some RL people asking how I can say I like something and then make it out like it sucked
But that's what fans do, they dissect what they love XD The more I love something, the more holes I'll pick, because if I don't care about something, it's not worth my time to do it.
...okay, this is why when I post movie reviews on my blog, I usually link to your review post of said-same movie. Because you write reviews much better than I do and we usually agree on the same things.
And you're right, not as funny as the first. I still laughed at it but thinking back now, it's not 1. Then again, no sequel beats its predecesor.
*pause a beat*
Okay, EXCEPTING Shrek 2. That is - in my opinion - the only sequel that's managed to match what it followed.
Anyway, enough from me about that. I have things to do...invitiations to get ready to send out...Star Wars/Buffy x-over to read...and various and assundry other things.
Heh. Thanks. Well, I'm just glad nobody really took offense to this... I really did want to have nothing but praise for the movie, but I guess all things have their flaws. Besides, overanalysis is my sincerest form of flattery. XD
More I think back on it... less black-and-white I'm getting about which parts I did/didn't like. A lot of it was funny -- it had me grinning -- it just didn't get many out-loud laughs out of me... as opposed to 1, which had me practically falling out of my seat. I went into 1 with low expectations and got movie greatness, so I went into 2 with expectations that were probably a bit too high. *shrug*
Mmm... Shrek 2. Man, I need a copy of that.
Oh! X-Men 2. Actually, that may just be me. But you know the one with Nightcrawler in it is always gonna be my fave. *is hopeless* ^_^.
I agree, it wasn't funny enough. Although, I think I'd buy the movie just for that scene when Jack, Will, and Norrington were fighting while Elizabeth is screaming at them. =) My biggest complaint was the craken killing people and destroying stuff overandoverandoverandover. Not that I minded the violence of it, it's that it got old. I've never been much for actionaction movies. I get bored.
Yeah. It takes a really, really good action movie to keep me interested all the way through. Actually I think there are only two I've ever seen that can... Die Hard (classic action, before it got overdone) and Lethal Weapon (which is SO funny). The kraken was like... "Yeah, that's cool. Okay, still cool. Cool even without me having to stare at it for five minutes. No, I got it the first time. Give it a rest already!"
The three-way fight with Elizabeth "fainting" and all was awesome. I admit I was giggling like crazy all through that. XD
I WAAAANT THE DVD! I don't want to see it in the theater again, not at all (another twenty combined minutes of staring at kraken-suckers? no thanks), but I want to see some parts again so bad. Namely all things Davy Jones. And I want to watch the sorceress scenes until I can decipher what she's saying, because I think it was interesting. >_<
Comments 10
Bits of it were, but nothing like as consistently as the first. Hippediva hit that nail - they tried to write a comedy, instead of letting the actors run off with a straight script, and that's what caused the silliness, your aptly pointed out Cartoon!Jack. Though sadly, some people liked the Jack kebab :-(
The subtlety in Jack was missing from this one - the first film leaves you ever-wondering if he's really that selfish, or if he's just manipulative and devious enough to know things would play out in everyone's favour eventually. The second drops that, and he's no more than a self-involved bastard. An amusing one, sometimes, but still a bastard.
a gratuitous body count never, ever earns brownie points with me.
That depends on the film for me. A heavy action Rodriguez flick, which is all about the violence - absolutely. In this, it doesn't belong.
self-serving characters make for tedious viewing.
Unless they're played by an actor who can really run off with the role. Not many people can get away with it, and ( ... )
Reply
Ooh yes, that's it exactly. I was trying to pin that down all the way back from the theater...
Though sadly, some people liked the Jack kebab
I was kind of grateful that the audience I was in with didn't laugh overmuch at the parts I thought too childish for words. Not that I want to begrudge other people their entertainment, but it's nice not to be made to feel quite so much like a damned intellectual stick-in-the-mud. In fact, I didn't hear many real laughs at all -- a lot of snickers and giggles...
Not many people can get away with it, and certainly not half of any cast.Exactly. Maybe I overstated myself... because one self-serving character, done well and with enough variety of cast to back them up, makes for great storytelling. PotC 1 had that with Jack, flanked by too-honorable-for-piracy Will, feminist-pirate-fangirl Elizabeth and wigged!Norrington. The transition to Will being the standalone straight man ( ( ... )
Reply
"It's an undead monkey" did! - that, I think was the funniest thing of all, and that's because he played it so straight and blase XD
I have some RL people asking how I can say I like something and then make it out like it sucked
But that's what fans do, they dissect what they love XD The more I love something, the more holes I'll pick, because if I don't care about something, it's not worth my time to do it.
Reply
Reply
Reply
*starts to speak*
*pause and frown*
...okay, this is why when I post movie reviews on my blog, I usually link to your review post of said-same movie. Because you write reviews much better than I do and we usually agree on the same things.
And you're right, not as funny as the first. I still laughed at it but thinking back now, it's not 1. Then again, no sequel beats its predecesor.
*pause a beat*
Okay, EXCEPTING Shrek 2. That is - in my opinion - the only sequel that's managed to match what it followed.
Anyway, enough from me about that. I have things to do...invitiations to get ready to send out...Star Wars/Buffy x-over to read...and various and assundry other things.
Ta.
Reply
Reply
More I think back on it... less black-and-white I'm getting about which parts I did/didn't like. A lot of it was funny -- it had me grinning -- it just didn't get many out-loud laughs out of me... as opposed to 1, which had me practically falling out of my seat. I went into 1 with low expectations and got movie greatness, so I went into 2 with expectations that were probably a bit too high. *shrug*
Mmm... Shrek 2. Man, I need a copy of that.
Oh! X-Men 2. Actually, that may just be me. But you know the one with Nightcrawler in it is always gonna be my fave. *is hopeless* ^_^.
Star Wars/Buffy? *blink blink*
... interesting.
^_^.
Reply
My biggest complaint was the craken killing people and destroying stuff overandoverandoverandover. Not that I minded the violence of it, it's that it got old. I've never been much for actionaction movies. I get bored.
Reply
The three-way fight with Elizabeth "fainting" and all was awesome. I admit I was giggling like crazy all through that. XD
I WAAAANT THE DVD! I don't want to see it in the theater again, not at all (another twenty combined minutes of staring at kraken-suckers? no thanks), but I want to see some parts again so bad. Namely all things Davy Jones. And I want to watch the sorceress scenes until I can decipher what she's saying, because I think it was interesting. >_<
Call me! We need a time to get together!
Reply
Leave a comment