...have I about my decision to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. No, not at all. I'd probably be a bit more tired right now if I'd stayed home, but I'm sure I wouldn't yet be asleep. I really only have two complaints about the movie.
1) It suffers from Redshirt syndrome in that no names die, not the actors that you know. But to be fair, the only multiple unit multimedia (i.e. TV and movies) production that doesn't completely suffer from this is Lost (it has several main, main characters--but several other main characters have died/left because of the plot, not actor's decisions).
2) It is obviously the middle child of a trilogy. Like The Matrix, Curse of the Black Pearl could have stood on its own forever. I'm sure it would have had it not been as wildly successful as it was. With Dead Man's Chest though there must be a sequel. There is an ending, and you have some resolution, but many threads are left hanging--begging for conclusion. I fear this was inevitable as they filmed the second two movies together. The first movie of a proposed trilogy has to stand on its own--you can't bank that people will go see part I if part II is years away. I think it would be interesting to examine Episode IV (A New Hope) and see if it conforms to this pattern--it has been too long since I've seen it to allow me to properly comment on this idea I just hatched.
Other than these relatively minor problems I thoroughly enjoyed the film. I'm so glad I saw it on opening day, because now I have time to persuade myself to go see it again! Yeah, it was good enough that I think I would pay to see it in theaters again. The humour was excellent--I (and many of the other people in the crowded theatre) were laughing through much of the movie. Depp was fantastic with his portrayal of Jack Sparrow as a decidedly atypical pirate. Look also for many connections, tie-ins, and allusions to both the first movie and to the ride. I think that now we've seen nearly all of the scenes fromt the ride--but I could be wrong. I've not been on the ride since October 2004, so there could be something they're saving for the third movie.
I'm not sure how to classify these movies (historical fantasy?) but whatever they are, I want them on DVD! :-) I could not count it a waste to add these movies to my collection. I have high hopes for the third movie.
~Matt
2 comments:
The main loose end I can think of in Star Wars Episode IV is the scene where you see Darth Vader spinning out of control but still alive after his fighter gets shot by Han Solo.
That is a good one--though if the movie had failed it could have been assumed that he spun off to his death. I'm not sure if you've seen Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest--but several plot points from the first movie that seemed dead or resolved were spun back up and given new life.
Post a Comment