The Imagination of Fantasy

THOUGHTS: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN - AT WORLD'S END

I know I'm late to the table with this one.  I have not had much time for movies.  If you are in the Grand Rapids area, check out One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest at the Civic - I'm stage managing that, which leaves me little time for movie-watching (I'm so behind it's laughable, so I will shamelessly plug that which has made me behind).

So, I decided to use a dark night to catch up on a flick I was longing to see for a year plus a few weeks.  Yeah, I heard the mixed reviews.  Some people were exceptionally disappointed.  Others loved it.  Whatever your take, I think Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is a fitting end to a trilogy that, let's face it, was based on an amusement park ride and did not deserve high expectations when it began.

Admittedly, the first entry (Curse of the Black Pearl) is probably the strongest of the three.  The idea was fresh then, the story was tighter, and Captain Jack Sparrow was not part of the popular lexicon yet, savvy?  As with any sequelized set of movies, I think expectations elevated unfairly.  The only time a third movie (that I can think of) surpassed the first two in the series was Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.  And maybe Episode III of the Star Wars prequels.  Other than that, I can think of so many third installments (including the recent Spider Man entry) that fell flat on their ears.

As such, I walked into this one just looking for the ride and not much else.  I think I was satisfied to that end.  Plus, as this is a Disney movie, I was pleasantly surprised that the ending was a bit of a twist and not hokey.  In fact, it was kind of epic.  Yes, the plot was strangely convoluted.  Yes, the (spoiler) appearance by Keith Richards was contrived and anticlimactic to say the least.  Yes, Keira Knightley continued to turn in a somewhat eccentric performance rivaling that of Johnny (though not as bad as in Dead Man's Chest).  And maybe people were disappointed by how it all turned out.  I think it was still funny, still exciting, still fun and a decent entry in the series.  I was not disappointed at all and will be proud to buy this movie to match the other two.

Plus, as fantasy goes, this one was a doozy.  Star-crossed lovers combined with the supernatural combined with women as pirates combined with mystical charts combined with....I thought it piqued the imagination quite nicely.

Plus, I really enjoy watching Johnny Depp.  I really really do.  He should be commended for this performance - at least MTV viewers gave him that honor.

What do you think?

Re: THOUGHTS: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN - AT WORLD'S END

Re: THOUGHTS: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN - AT WORLD'S END

Hollywood has been known to rate movies by the beautiful actors in them. Some movies has been known to soar the box offices due to that fact. Which one of the reasons Hollywood is becoming more Satanic. However these beautiful actors can act no matter what film they are in. The second film it seemed Elizabeth Swan was attracted to Captain Jack Sparrow. FYI it's true in real life. Keira Knightley even admitted to it. When he kissed him at the end of Dead Man's Chest Will Turner thought she loved him. I didn't understand that. It seemed like they were suppose to have a trusting and honest relationship. It didn't care to the second and third one. If I did it was because of the sword fighting, the kissing scenes, and the actors. Although I didn't think the third sucked. It was good. That's my opinion.

Mandi 23 years old

Number 1 Movie Fan