[Wrao]

Originally Posted by pscates2.0 The upcoming "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequel is going to trounce all over it! In fact, I'll go on record right now to say THAT movie - not DaVinci, not Tom Cruise swinging around on cables, not leather-clad mutants, not the Big Blue Boyscout, etc. - will rule the summer. Just watch..."Pirates" will make more in three days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) than "Superman Returns" made in five-plus. AND it'll sustain it a bit as well, becoming a true "summer blockbuster", I'm betting.

Come on, out with it, you think Orlando Bloom is a stud.

[psmith2.0]

No, Johnny Depp is.

Actually, that Kiera Knightly(sp?) made my eyes pop out when I saw the first one. That was the first thing I'd ever seen her in and she was so beautiful. Like an even prettier, sexier Natalie Portman or something. I remember going home afterwards and Googling her for pictures...

In fact, it was as though someone took all the best things about Mariska Hargitay, Natalie Portman and Giada de Laurentiis, and somehow crafted them into this exquisite creature.



I dug the story, Depp's pirate, the FX, Ms. Knightly, Geoffrey Rush, the locations, the monkey, the action, etc. Bloom, actually, was about #41 on the list of things that made me enjoy that movie so much. He was just kinda "there". He could've keeled over 1/3 into it and I probably wouldn't have noticed.

[psmith2.0]

Hey, give us a review or recap of "Pirates", please? I'm definitely going to see it - maybe this weekend - and was just curious what the "regular joe" take on it was (I can't trust these professional reviewers anymore...I wonder a) if they're on the take or b) completely insane and/or jaded beyond all reason).



So what's it like, in a nutshell? You don't have to get into spoilers if you don't want to.

Better than the first? Worst? Did you even like the first, and going into this expecting more pirate-y goodness?

Spill it, matey! Arrrr!

[ironlung]

pscates I watched it last night. It was pretty good but they pulled a Halo2 on the viewers. Need to see Pirates 3 for the full story line. Kind of like the two towers in that sense. But quite entertaining.

[BarracksSi]

I think that, if you liked the first one, you'll like this one. Lots of pirate-y stuff, a bunch of stuntwork mixed in with CGI "stunts" (it's getting to the point these days where I don't trust that I'm seeing real people anymore), not as much of a love story (bah.. pirates don't need love anyway!), some funny stuff here and there, some really busy & overly-detailed visuals and characters that are just plain difficult to see.

Which brings me to another point: Since they can now literally draw anything they want onto the screen, whether it's a ship, zombie pirate, or simply flying debris, they're going to put every-damn-thing all over the screen. Jeezus, it's hard for me to decipher what the hell's going on. I suppose that it's intended to make me feel the confusion, but still, it gets ridiculous. I think that a big reason for this CGI overkill is so that they can boast about how many gazillion polygons and auto-behavior-driven characters they drew onto the film.

The funny thing is that I never felt overloaded with visuals during Cars.

[BarracksSi]

Originally Posted by ironlung pscates I watched it last night. It was pretty good but they pulled a Halo2 on the viewers. Need to see Pirates 3 for the full story line. Kind of like the two towers in that sense. But quite entertaining.

Agreed. I said to my friend, "Of course there'll be another sequel. Blockbusters come in trilogies these days."

[psmith2.0]

What I heard is that they've already filmed 2/3 or so of the third one. Orlando Bloom was on Conan the other evening and mentioned that.

I guess, while you've got all these stars and big crews on hand, it's smarter to go ahead and do everything you can so you won't have to go round them all up again in a year or two. They might not be available or up to it.

Yeah, you gotta have three. It's a rule. Unless it's "Superman Returns"...then you peter out and pretty much blow it after one.



[ducks]

[Ryan]

I think I might try to see Pirates tonight, but at a different theater than last time. There's another one in town I haven't been to yet, maybe they're a bit better than the AMC I saw Superman Returns in.

[Ryan]

That's for both the movie *and* the audience I saw it with.

I'll start with the theater. A neighbor told me about a place called the Alamo Drafthouse. Basically, dinner and a movie. The food wasn't bad (it wasn't great either) but the audience was quiet, and they don't allow kids under 6 in, so no screaming babies. Since everyone was eating, the crowd was pretty much shut up for the whole film.

'Scates, you'd love this theater.

Now, on to the film, which was very good. Certainly one of the best non-Pixar Disney films I've seen in a long time.

I'll just throw all of this into a spoiler tag. It's easier for me that way.

At first I was confused as to which British guy was which. Maybe it would have helped if I'd rented the first movie so it'd be fresh in my mind, as I had some trouble remembering what happened to Notting-something-or-other. The addition of the East India Trading Company guy threw me off for a while, since at first I thought he was the Commodore. Except for that, this was a great movie. I would easily shell out another $8 to see it again if I had any time in the next two weeks, even if just to catch a few bits I missed in the first viewing. Keira Knightley was good. I thought bringing back Barbossa was an interesting, though not altogether unexpected twist. I'm sure they'll figure out a way to bring back the Pearl in the next one. I wonder if we'll be seeing more of that mystic/psychic/witch girl, the one that was damn near impossible to understand? I'm guessing yes.

I can't wait for the next one.

[Robo]

I saw Pirates last night, too. I was very impressed.

How good was it? Well, now I'm convinced that Disney might just be able to turn themselves around and be a respectable studio again. Yeah, it was that good.

Originally Posted by Ryan At first I was confused as to which British guy was which. Maybe it would have helped if I'd rented the first movie so it'd be fresh in my mind, as I had some trouble remembering what happened to Notting-something-or-other. The addition of the East India Trading Company guy threw me off for a while, since at first I thought he was the Commodore.

Me too! I heard people talking about the rest of the plot as they left the theater - some people didn't understand anything - but I thought it was comprehensible, with the exception noted above.

The ending (or non-ending) was a risky move. Jack Sparrow is Pirates of the Caribbean, and killing him off takes serious guts. Yeah, yeah, I know he's not really dead, but even his absence from most of the third film (which seems to revolve around bringing him back) would be a hugely risky move - people who go to see Pirates want to see Jack. That's why I don't think he'll be as gone as the ending suggests he will be - even if he is dead, we'll still see plenty of scenes of Jack doing his swashbuckling thing in the Underworld or whatever. I don't think Will and Elizabeth could carry the movie on their own. But the ending of the movie was nicely done. It was almost anticlimactic, in a way - the final battle with the Kraken was surprisingly short. But that's a good thing - it means that the third film will be able to top the second. Peter Jackson should take notes. Other thoughts: The kinda-sorta-love triangle between Jack, Elizabeth, and Will was nicely developed. The humor was spot-on, bringing back many of in-jokes from the previous film - Pirates 1 fans will adore this movie. All in all, Pirates 2 did a great job of expanding the world of the first film. My only ding - I'm putting this in the spoiler tag, too, because I don't want to effect anyone else's opinions before they see it - is that, while the plot is good, you can tell it's a sequel. You can tell that they didn't write "Pirates" as a trilogy from the start. It reminds me a lot of Toy Story 2 - there's nothing obviously wrong with the plot, but it just doesn't "click" like the first one. But that is, of course, to be expected - because Pirates 2 is a sequel. It's as good as even the most hardcore Pirates fan (myself) could have hoped, and I am happy to say that my fears weren't justified.

Now, bring on Pirates 3!

Oh, and one more thing: I'm putting this in spoiler tags, because I want any big Disney fan (or at least the ones that haven't seen the movie yet) to be suprised, but this movie is the first to feature the new "Walt Disney" intro. I liked it. It makes Walt Disney feel...idunno, special again. Like, you're not just seeing a movie, you're seeing a Walt Disney movie. Kinda like it was back in the day, y'know? Before "Snow Dogs" or "Brother Bear" or "Treasure Planet" or any of their manufactured schlock. But maybe that's just me.

[Ryan]

Originally Posted by Roboman Oh, and one more thing: I'm putting this in spoiler tags, because I want any big Disney fan (or at least the ones that haven't seen the movie yet) to be suprised, but this movie is the first to feature the new "Walt Disney" intro. I liked it. It makes Walt Disney feel...idunno, special again. Like, you're not just seeing a movie, you're seeing a Walt Disney movie. Kinda like it was back in the day, y'know? Before "Snow Dogs" or "Brother Bear" or "Treasure Planet" or any of their manufactured schlock. But maybe that's just me.

I noticed that too. I hope that we'll see more movies like Pirates coming out of Disney. And with Pixar, who knows, maybe Disney will stop shoving manufactured crap down our throats and we'll start seeing *good* films come out of that studio? Seeing Jack bite that toe while eating french fries was somewhat disgusting. Just thought I'd add that.

[Windowsrookie]

I'm going to see it in about a half hour. Anybody seen it yet? I though the first one was pretty good. I hope the New one is too. Although has there ever been a good sequel?

[Artap99]

Isn't the majority of movie goers' favorite Star Wars of all time the Empire Strikes Back?

[Fahrenheit]

following Artap, I dont think that Pirates of the caribbean dead mans chest can be classed as a sequal as it is part of a trilogy, in much the same vain as Star Wars or Harry Potter, or LOTR (all of which have got better in progression IMHO) as they are written all as one- there is no "er...so what shall we write about now?" mentality. In fact, they should get better as the producers have a clear idea of where they are going and what can be improved etc. and what the audience like.

The general consensus, WR is that the second is better. But since you have gone now you will be able to confirm that for us

[Wrao]

I saw it yesterday. I enjoyed it. Can't say I'm all that involved in the series though, I don't think I ever saw the first one in its entirety.

Also, Matrix: Reloaded was a good sequel, so was Bill and Ted's Bogus journey.

[Engine Joe]

Originally Posted by windowsrookie I'm going to see it in about a half hour. Anybody seen it yet? I though the first one was pretty good. I hope the New one is too. Although has there ever been a good sequel?

From Russia With Love was better than Dr. No.

[drewprops]

Pirates?
My Mom doesn't believe her best friend (Captain Rob) is a pirate...

[Brad]

(Thread merged with a split from the Superman Returns thread.)

[AWR]

Godfather? Godfather II?

[Wrao]

Originally Posted by Brad (Thread merged with a split from the Superman Returns thread.)

aw gee, thanks brad.

[Brad]

Yeah, to be honest, I just wanted to showcase your opening line up there.

[PB PM]

Originally Posted by Artap99 Isn't the majority of movie goers' favorite Star Wars of all time the Empire Strikes Back?

Your kidding right? IMO it was the worst of the original movies (other than the little Ewalks(SP?) in VI)

[Brad]

Originally Posted by PB PM Your kidding right? IMO it was the worst of the original movies.

Not kidding. Most people do think of it as the best of the three.

[PB PM]

To each his own I guess, I'm looking forward to seeing the new Pirates movie, maybe sometime this next week.

[AWR]

Originally Posted by Brad Not kidding. Most people do think of it as the best of the three.

Easily. 2, 1, 3.

2 and 1 were both great. 3 sucked.

[JK47]

I thought the movie was very well done. The beginning was a bit slow, but it was certainly as entertaining as the first movie, with plenty of comedy and action.

[Wrao]

On the Movie:

I really liked the character of Davy Jones. He had depth. He wasn't cheesy evil, but he wasn't totally misunderstood evil either. He also looked fucking badass(along with most of his crew).

[Robo]

Originally Posted by Farenheit following Artap, I dont think that Pirates of the caribbean dead mans chest can be classed as a sequal as it is part of a trilogy, in much the same vain as Star Wars or Harry Potter, or LOTR (all of which have got better in progression IMHO) as they are written all as one- there is no "er...so what shall we write about now?" mentality. In fact, they should get better as the producers have a clear idea of where they are going and what can be improved etc. and what the audience like.

Wrong.

Pirates 2 and 3 were written together, but Pirates 1-3 was not written as a trilogy. Pirates of the Caribbean was not written as the first part of a trilogy. It is not like Harry Potter, where the entire series was plotted out and the final chapter written before the first volume was completed.

When making Pirates 1, I'm sure they thought about where they would take the series if the first film was successful. They obviously left the ending open for another film. And, being Disney, sequels were never really much in question after the success of the first film. But the first Pirates was not written as the first chapter in a three-part story arc.

How do I know? Well, besides the fact that it's pretty much common knowledge, it shows. I love Pirates 2, but - like Toy Story 2, and pretty much every other sequel ever - you can still tell it's a sequel. There's nothing explicitly wrong with the plot, but it doesn't "click" the same way the original did. It feels like it was added on - and, well, it was. (I said all this in my spoiler tag above, actually.)

Plus, if Pirates 1 was planned to be the start of a trilogy, Disney would have told us. They would have avoided all of the sequel stigma that way. Second, they would have started production on the second and third movies before the first film came out - there wouldn't have been as big of a time gap between Pirates 1 and 2. Finally, the subtitle "The Curse of the Black Pearl" was added to the original Pirates very late in production - probably once it became clear what a hit the movie will be. It's by far the most popular movie ever based on a theme park ride. (In your face, Haunted Mansion!)

[Robo]

Originally Posted by Ryan Seeing Jack bite that toe while eating french fries was somewhat disgusting. Just thought I'd add that.

That was a toe?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

[Wrao]

Originally Posted by Roboman That was a toe?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Yes, he was given a necklace of the toes of his former crew. All said and done, that was a pretty morbid scene, surprising how light-heartedly it was approached.