A pirate's life for me.
May. 25th, 2007 10:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancinguniverseSaw Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End last night. I'm not sure I was 100% satisfied with the ending, but I had so much fun during the other three hours that it barely mattered, and that's rare for me and a movie. Completely worth the $8. Go see it.
I need to see this movie another time or two to really think well about it, because I'm going to forget things. Trying to go in order:
- Elizabeth kicked a lot of ass in this movie, which meant I liked her a lot more than I did in previous movies. She was pretty cool, but then she'd go and be Elizabeth again, and I'd remember that I vaguely dislike her. Which translates to me sitting in the theater muttering, "You go girl," for most of the movie, intermingled with, "Bitch, shove it."
- I don't know that I have much to say about Will. He's kind of a boring character. He's too good, too unconflicted. There was some twists with that one, and... I still didn't care much. Having to choose between your father and your love isn't really a moral conflict, it's just a sucky choice. And he's totally the kind of person who would choose Elizabeth, even if it meant only once every ten years. The WTF about that is below.
- Barbossa? How cool was he? By the end of the movie, I was in love with his laugh. So much cooler than in the first movie. I just... I liked the way he dealt with Elizabeth, and Jack, and Sao Feng, and I liked him when he was laughing insanely, and even when he was marrying Will and Elizabeth. He's such a classic pirate, and I absolutely adore him for it.
- Norrington. Oh my dear beating heart, Norrington. I'm glad the writers remembered he's a good guy, and I'm glad he still loves Elizabeth, and she him, in a way, and while I'm so sad he's dead... I don't think he'd have cut it with the pirates. I don't see him turning to the other side, even when he knows his is bad. And I think he got a kickass death. It's not often that I find deaths done satisfactorily, but I think his was. I have no real qualms about it. If he had to die (and let's face it, someone we love had to kick it), that was a good way to go. I love you, Norrington. Job well done.
- Jack. I love Jack with an adoring fashion, and then I wonder why the Jack in my head is not the Jack on the movie screen. One of the few times I get my heart consistently stomped on by canon. I don't understand why he and Will are enemies, for one thing. Stop trying to kill each other. You're buddies, you went on an adventure together. You taught him how to BE a pirate, for Crissake. Is it too much to ask for a little of the camaraderie we see at the end of the first?
That said, I... don't know how I feel about him and his crew of Jacks. I feel I'm going to psychoanalyze that one way too much for a Disney movie. I liked his conflict, I liked... I like Jack so much, but so much of this movie was about him being maneuvered around for plot's sake, and I wanted him to take charge long before he did, because it stopped being his movie, and I didn't want that to happen. Though when he did take charge, I fell in love with him all over again.
And at the look on his face when Will was stabbed, I almost forgave the entire second movie, and most of this one, for not making he and Will friends. And when he gave up immortality, and crewing the Flying Dutchman for eternity, I could have kissed someone. Thank you for remembering that whatever side they end up on, they do actually like each other.
- Keith Richards. Blackbeard. Or maybe Captain Hook. WIN.
Biggest WTFs
- Mother of all the WTFs, WHY CAN'T ELIZABETH GO WITH WILL? We've had live people on the Dutchman throughout the second and third movies, and they've been fine, and we've had even more people meet up with Davey Jones while at sea. So why can't she pirate around on her own boat, or sail the Dutchman with him? I saw so good reason for that. That's just angst for angst's sake.
- Calypso and Davey Jones? No resolution there? He just plummets to his death, and she just summons a storm that appears to aid no one in particular? Okay then. Thanks for that one, writers. BIIIG buildup, itty-bitty delivery. You know we love that.
- Okay no, seriously, the Elizabeth ending. Does she really have to stay on land? What happened to her being a pirate? Does that stop when she gets married, so she can go be a good housewife? What the FUCK? I think 10 years without your husband is bad enough.
- So what WAS the deal with the pieces of eight? Okay, so that's not what the pirates really use. So why were people carrying them around? Why was that one vibrating or whatever? Or was that not really happening, it was just to fool us, in which case, STOP CHEATING, film people.
- I wish the ending had been more conclusive in a lot of ways. I know it was already 3 hours long, but some sort of wrap-up about the sea now belonging to Calypso again, and the pirates who know to be good to her, and not to the Royal Navy, who wants to control her still. And to tie up her and Davey Jones' story. I actually rather like the movie ending where the trilogy began, with Barbossa stranding Jack. That's the one thing I'm good with. He'll get the Pearl back. He always does.
On a final note, what happens when Elizabeth gets old and decrepid? I was sort of assuming that's not going to happen to Will, though with all of Davey's tentacles, I'm not sure there was proof of that. So what, she gets old, and he keeps going? I was sort of thinking Jack would eventually take over anyway, kill Will to give him to Elizabeth, and then get the Dutchman, assuming he lives that long. Which he will, because he's Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?
I kind of missed Anamaria. And I kind of hoped for a second we were going to get a kickass girl from Sao Feng's court, who gave a Navy man a glare of death when he killed her friend. But then she died too. I love Tia Dalma/Calypso, and Elizabeth was pretty cool in the movie, but it was rather overrun with men. There could have been a few more girls thrown in there.
And the thing that made me proudest of all at the end of the movie: Jack's compass points true again. He's been running, and had no direction for two movies now, and that's not Captain Jack Sparrow. He may never make a straight line towards something in his life, but he knows where it is, and how to get there, even if it looks like a total accident in how he arrives. But he's got his compass, and a boat, and he'll get the Pearl back, and he'll sail forever. Good boy.
I need to see this movie another time or two to really think well about it, because I'm going to forget things. Trying to go in order:
- Elizabeth kicked a lot of ass in this movie, which meant I liked her a lot more than I did in previous movies. She was pretty cool, but then she'd go and be Elizabeth again, and I'd remember that I vaguely dislike her. Which translates to me sitting in the theater muttering, "You go girl," for most of the movie, intermingled with, "Bitch, shove it."
- I don't know that I have much to say about Will. He's kind of a boring character. He's too good, too unconflicted. There was some twists with that one, and... I still didn't care much. Having to choose between your father and your love isn't really a moral conflict, it's just a sucky choice. And he's totally the kind of person who would choose Elizabeth, even if it meant only once every ten years. The WTF about that is below.
- Barbossa? How cool was he? By the end of the movie, I was in love with his laugh. So much cooler than in the first movie. I just... I liked the way he dealt with Elizabeth, and Jack, and Sao Feng, and I liked him when he was laughing insanely, and even when he was marrying Will and Elizabeth. He's such a classic pirate, and I absolutely adore him for it.
- Norrington. Oh my dear beating heart, Norrington. I'm glad the writers remembered he's a good guy, and I'm glad he still loves Elizabeth, and she him, in a way, and while I'm so sad he's dead... I don't think he'd have cut it with the pirates. I don't see him turning to the other side, even when he knows his is bad. And I think he got a kickass death. It's not often that I find deaths done satisfactorily, but I think his was. I have no real qualms about it. If he had to die (and let's face it, someone we love had to kick it), that was a good way to go. I love you, Norrington. Job well done.
- Jack. I love Jack with an adoring fashion, and then I wonder why the Jack in my head is not the Jack on the movie screen. One of the few times I get my heart consistently stomped on by canon. I don't understand why he and Will are enemies, for one thing. Stop trying to kill each other. You're buddies, you went on an adventure together. You taught him how to BE a pirate, for Crissake. Is it too much to ask for a little of the camaraderie we see at the end of the first?
That said, I... don't know how I feel about him and his crew of Jacks. I feel I'm going to psychoanalyze that one way too much for a Disney movie. I liked his conflict, I liked... I like Jack so much, but so much of this movie was about him being maneuvered around for plot's sake, and I wanted him to take charge long before he did, because it stopped being his movie, and I didn't want that to happen. Though when he did take charge, I fell in love with him all over again.
And at the look on his face when Will was stabbed, I almost forgave the entire second movie, and most of this one, for not making he and Will friends. And when he gave up immortality, and crewing the Flying Dutchman for eternity, I could have kissed someone. Thank you for remembering that whatever side they end up on, they do actually like each other.
- Keith Richards. Blackbeard. Or maybe Captain Hook. WIN.
Biggest WTFs
- Mother of all the WTFs, WHY CAN'T ELIZABETH GO WITH WILL? We've had live people on the Dutchman throughout the second and third movies, and they've been fine, and we've had even more people meet up with Davey Jones while at sea. So why can't she pirate around on her own boat, or sail the Dutchman with him? I saw so good reason for that. That's just angst for angst's sake.
- Calypso and Davey Jones? No resolution there? He just plummets to his death, and she just summons a storm that appears to aid no one in particular? Okay then. Thanks for that one, writers. BIIIG buildup, itty-bitty delivery. You know we love that.
- Okay no, seriously, the Elizabeth ending. Does she really have to stay on land? What happened to her being a pirate? Does that stop when she gets married, so she can go be a good housewife? What the FUCK? I think 10 years without your husband is bad enough.
- So what WAS the deal with the pieces of eight? Okay, so that's not what the pirates really use. So why were people carrying them around? Why was that one vibrating or whatever? Or was that not really happening, it was just to fool us, in which case, STOP CHEATING, film people.
- I wish the ending had been more conclusive in a lot of ways. I know it was already 3 hours long, but some sort of wrap-up about the sea now belonging to Calypso again, and the pirates who know to be good to her, and not to the Royal Navy, who wants to control her still. And to tie up her and Davey Jones' story. I actually rather like the movie ending where the trilogy began, with Barbossa stranding Jack. That's the one thing I'm good with. He'll get the Pearl back. He always does.
On a final note, what happens when Elizabeth gets old and decrepid? I was sort of assuming that's not going to happen to Will, though with all of Davey's tentacles, I'm not sure there was proof of that. So what, she gets old, and he keeps going? I was sort of thinking Jack would eventually take over anyway, kill Will to give him to Elizabeth, and then get the Dutchman, assuming he lives that long. Which he will, because he's Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?
I kind of missed Anamaria. And I kind of hoped for a second we were going to get a kickass girl from Sao Feng's court, who gave a Navy man a glare of death when he killed her friend. But then she died too. I love Tia Dalma/Calypso, and Elizabeth was pretty cool in the movie, but it was rather overrun with men. There could have been a few more girls thrown in there.
And the thing that made me proudest of all at the end of the movie: Jack's compass points true again. He's been running, and had no direction for two movies now, and that's not Captain Jack Sparrow. He may never make a straight line towards something in his life, but he knows where it is, and how to get there, even if it looks like a total accident in how he arrives. But he's got his compass, and a boat, and he'll get the Pearl back, and he'll sail forever. Good boy.
