So, I saw Pirates this weekend...

[rhienelleth]

I have read no one else's responses as yet, but plan to after I finish this post.

Without any spoilers, let me just say this:

OMFG *is dead* <-- my initial response after seeing it.  It was the best of the three movies.  I can't think of a single scene that I didn't love.  It resolved the things from the previous two movies, yet brought up new twists for future films (which, according to interviews, Johnny Depp has the costume in his closet, ready to go at any time.  Hee!) 

And for the Will/Elizabeth/Jack triangle lovers, they resolved it (sort of) while yet leaving it open for new developments, rather like the rest of the plot. :D

Now for the nitty gritty:

I read a review that said the movie was too rushed, too long, and the first 45 minutes were a waste.  Um, ok.  I totally disagree.  The pacing felt just right to me.  The first 45 minutes are integral to the rest of the movie (I can only surmise the reviewer in question felt that rescuing Jack was a waste of time, which...whatever, nameless reviewer.) 

The third film felt multi-layered, like the second film.  I'm sure that future viewings will reveal new little character points etc.  I do wish they had better explained the singing = singing coins thing, but if that's my only quibble, we're doing good.  Oh, why am I even trying to do a cohesive review here?! 

THINGS I LOVED & ADORED:

~ Barbossa.  Jack will forever be my favorite pirate ever, but Geoffrey Rush does such an outstanding job as Barbossa, that in this film, it might as well be a toss up. 

~ Tia Dalma/Calypso.  I had part of it figured out a half hour into the movie - that she was the woman Davy Jones cut his heart out for.  She was so cool!  I have a weakness for Gods given mortal form, but she was really, truly awesome.  Also, they managed to make Davy Jones a sympathetic character in this.  That's an amazing skill, making villains three dimensional enough that they're not really clear cut villains anymore.

~ Dude.  Keith Richards as Captain Teague, aka Jack's Dad!  I wish they'd had a little more time with him - enough to explain how/why he became the keeper of the code, and why all the pirate lords are afraid of him.  But he was AWESOME in the cameo.  "You're in my way, boy."  *dies*  Also, the dog was back!  He didn't get eaten, yay!

~ Jack, making Elizabeth King.  The look on her face!  And this was one of those telling character moments for both of them, Elizabeth's naming of herself and Jack's naming of her showing us - again - that at heart, Elizabeth is truly a pirate, and Jack is less selfish than he lets anyone see.  Yes, he knew that by naming her, he would ultimately get what he wanted, and that naming himself wouldn't.  But each and every one of those pirates named themselves because they couldn't get past that selfish streak to name another.  Jack did. 

~ The "who's side is Will on, anyway?"  Harkens back to Elizabeth asking Will that question about Jack, and his response "At the moment...?"  Again, Will and Elizabeth have come a long way since the first movie. 

~ Calypso and Jones.  That scene, when he comes to her and she places her hand on his chest, and for just a moment, we glimpse the man behind the tentacles.  Wow.  I want to know what happened after he fell into the water, though, at the end.  The storm stopped then, as if Calypso finally had what she wanted.  So...did she take her revenge on Jones, or as she'd earlier promised him (before she knew the depth of his betrayal) were they to be together forever?    Calypso strikes me as a vengeful goddess. 

~ Without a doubt, the best scene in the ENTIRE MOVIE was the fight and aftermath between Jack/Jones/Will/Elizabeth.  The climax of the film, of all three films, really, and SO DAMN GOOD!  The fight was swashbuckling at its glorious best.  The scene where Will is dying, and Jack must choose to give up the thing he's been struggling to find, the thing he believes he wants most, so that Will can live....OMG, that was all so amazing.  The struggle on Jack's face, the agony of deciding to give it to Will...I still can't decide if he did it because he truly cares that much about Will, or because Will's death would have destroyed Elizabeth, or some combination thereof.  I did not see any of that coming, and that's part of what made it so damn cool.  A decent ending would have been Jack stabbing the heart, replacing Jones, Barbossa keeping the Pearl and Will and Elizabeth going back to their lives....but it would have been a little too "wrapped up in a bow", you know?  THIS WAS 100 TIMES BETTER!! 

I loved it.  I loved how at the end, we've come full circle to the beginning.  We have Barbossa with the Pearl, Jack in a little dingy, just like the first movie, and Elizabeth and Will pining for one another, despite the fact that they're married now. 

I'm going to see it again this weekend.  I so can't wait. :)

Comments

[psilobabe.livejournal.com]

:) totally agree, I loved it too! Although even if it was rubbish I think could've happily sat and watched it just for multiple Jack Sparrow scenes and the costumes (especially Tia Dalma/Calypso) heaven! :)

[rhienelleth.livejournal.com]

YES! The costumes were amazing! I've been spending the last week sewing my fingers to the bone on costumes, actually, so my appreciation for the makers of all the costumes in this film is huge.

Each of the previous films has inspired 'knock off' costume patterns, so I'm hoping this one will, too...w/a little alteration/better attention to detail, the knock off patterns (such as the one of Elizabeth's wedding dress in the second film) aren't too bad.

[venulia.livejournal.com]

Oooh, just fyi, there is a short scene at the end of the credits...

[kismeteve.livejournal.com]

I thought the pacing in AWE was vastly superior to the pacing of DMC, even if it was a bit too long for my tastes.

Elizabeth's naming of herself and Jack's naming of her showing us - again - that at heart, Elizabeth is truly a pirate, and Jack is less selfish than he lets anyone see.

YES. I loved that part.