Hey folks, Harry here... I've been pulling for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN for well over a year now and find it quite gratifying that the film is getting the sort of notices that it is receiving. Why? Cuz, it could have sucked bad. And I really didn't want that. I like the director and the cast and the look and feel of everything we've seen. I love that most of the reviews are coming away praising Johnny Depp for his quirkiness, and I guarantee that sort of word will continue when the reviews start coming in for ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO, a film that he clearly steals from beginning to the end. Well folks, here ya go, no spoilers be here....
H to the Knowles
Hi there. You've been nice enough to post some of my other early reviews and if you're not deluged with reviews for "Pirates," I hope you can post this short review.
I saw Pirates of the Caribbean last night at an LA Press screening. I'll tell you this first, I only had a small amount of interest in seeing this and was planning on skipping it. I never went on the ride at the Mouse Kingdom so I didn't know the story until a friend (this Bi-atch that I know) told me about it. Come on, it's freaking Disney, so I just figured it would be another cute, pansy show. Yeah, they've got M. Night pumping out some cool stuff and yeah the Bruce & Ben movie was entertaining, but the origin of this is pure Disney and I thought for sure I would be rolling my eyes. So when a free screening came up I figured what the hell, the only thing I have to lose is time, so I saw it, and I'm glad I did.
It's much better than what I thought it would be. Johnny Depp is very funny. The effects and action are cool but he makes the movie. He's doing the quirky thing again, and it works again and he's fun to watch. The dude does not halfstep, he throws himself right into it and it works. The reaction that he gives with just his eyeballs makes you laugh because he's thinking exactly what you're thinking. And his introduction is very funny.
You know the story, cursed pirates trying to get find last gold piece of gold or a cursed treasure. And even though these pirates are nasty, mean and bad you feel kind of sorry for them. They've spent the last few years of their lives sort of like the living dead, except when they are exposed to moonlight they turn into skeletons. (Although, I'm not sure why that is, because I don't remember them saying that they died so I don't know why they turn into skeletons) The effects are great and the skeleton stuff is done in a creepy enough way that it'll give kids a scare and will impress adults.
So what kind of pirate movie is it? If you're dying to see a hardcore pirate movie, this isn't it - there are no gory deaths, bloody swordplay and drunken romps with hookers. It's a nicely constructed action movie with just the right amount of humor, action and bloodless battle violence that's pretty damn entertaining. This is after all a family movie for preteens and teens and young adults, some of the jokes are corny, but the kids will laugh. Two of the pirates are like Arto & C-3PO. It's part of the formula and it didn't turn me off. But other than the lack of some gory violence and some minor continuity problems (watch during the sneak attack - the one tall African Pirate is underwater, cut to the next scene and he's in the cave getting ready to fight...did I miss something? maybe so, but that's what it seemed like for me.)
The usual film snobs will dismiss it, but I liked it and I'll probably end up donating to the mouse king when I see it again with some friends. It's good.
Thanks Harry, take it easy.
R-man
