- The new Pirates movie is clever... but not as clever as the original.
- It has good effects and action... but all are a bit overdone and too lengthy.
- The acting is engaging... but feels a bit forced.
- All your favorite characters are back... plus a whole bunch that shouldn't be.
One of the keys to the first Pirates film was the engaging way the three main characters interacted. But in PotC:DMC, it takes too long to get the three characters together and then they act and speak like they didn't learn anything about each other from the first film. For example, in the first film, Will and Elizabeth learn that Captain Jack has a pretty good heart and is a fairly honorable man, he just has a rather eccentric and enigmatic way of getting there. However, in this film, all their dialogue is about how he has no honor and is only out for himself. What? After all they went through with him on their previous adventure, they still think that? Doesn't make sense.
Also, the real charm is those three characters and the silly but clever problems they got themselve into and out of. The rest of the cast were there to move the plot along. In PotC:DMC, many of the bit players have much larger, expanded roles. It got so that there were so many people and stories on the screen, that I started to lose interest.
The action felt forced and overly long. The first film hit the right mix of story and action. This PotC:DMC felt like the story was almost an excuse for newer, bigger, more overblown effects. And each of these action shots felt way, way, WAY too long. For example, the scene on the broken water wheel: we had already, in essence, seen this shot with the ball of bones early in the film. On top of this, the three way fight scene just kept going and going. I found I was squirming in my seat and wishing it was over and we could move on.
The motivations of some of the characters seemed pretty thin at best. It got so that I was actually getting confused and forgetting why certain characters were in this film. Jack was the only one with clearly defined motivations. Elizabeth kept flip-flopping what she wanted and why, Will seemed to be a totally different character who had amnesia to everything that happened in the first film, and the former Commodore seemed like he was sort of added in at the tail end when the writers couldn't figure out how certain plot points were going to happen.
Lastly, this film ends abruptly. It is more of a middle film than even Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back is. It is along the lines of Back to the Future 2. They tell half of a ful story and just end in the middle. I prefer each movie to stand, basically, on its own even if they tell a story that is continued in other films.
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Superman Returns was a good, entertaining film. However, I think they actually hurt themselves by making it a sequel to the first two Christopher Reeve movies. This provided the film with some constraints that seemed to hold it back.
For example, Kevin Spacey ate up the scenery as Lex Luthor. He was wonderful to watch. However, the fact that he needed to be the land-mogol and somewhat comic evil genius that we saw in the first two films really hindered what he could do as Lex. I can only imagine how entertaining he could have been as the real evil genius and general business (and political) leader that Lex has been in the comics (or has been in the Justice League cartoons over the last few years).
Brandon Routh was very good as both Superman and Clark Kent. I think he could have been even better if he wasn't acting like Christopher Reeve. He gave me a vibe that he could have been more of a John Byrne "Man of Steel" style Clark Kent, one who isn't a fumbling clutz. His Superman was a good balance of power and grace.
The story itself was decent, but the entire land-scheme of Lex left a lot to be desired. Up until the "big reveal" by Lex of what his plan actually is, the movie strikes a decent balance and is a fun ride. The scene where Superman saves the day with the space shuttle and plane is worth the price of admission alone. It is thrilling and you get a true sense of the power and nobility of Superman. The effects are incredible. However, the last 45 minutes of the story could have been trimmed and cut down to around 20 minutes.
Spoiler ahead, read at your own risk (highlight paragraph to read):
Lastly, one story area that I had a great deal of trouble with was the entire Lois Lane with child and that child being "super" plot-line. It was an unneeded and distracting subplot that added time and complications to the story that just weren't needed. If Bryan Singer had done away with that twist, he would have cut about 30 minutes out of the film, it would have required some more action scenes with Superman saving the day (which would have been good), and would have allowed Superman to remain unique.
End Spoiler
All in all, I was entertained and enjoyed that Superman returned. I was just a little disappointed Bryan Singer didn't stretch and expand the universe like he did with the X-Men franchise. I was expecting more from him as a director and storyteller.
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All in all, I was entertained by both films. I was also a bit disappointed in both. I think both are deservedly $200-$250 million dollar movies. I do not understand why Pirates is likely going to shoot way past that figure, and I don't understand why Superman is struggling to reach that mark.
Both films could have been at least 30 minutes shorter, easily, and could have simplified and tightened the respective stories to make them even more thrilling and entertaining.
I just saw Pirates part 2 and agree that the film is too long. I didn't see part 1 but now want to see the DVD. I thought the beginning of part 2 was too slow. I also felt there were too many scenes with the Kraken and aboard Davy Jones' Flying Dutchman. I think the film could have used more editing. Overall, though, the film is entertaining, even with its flaws. The principals are interesting to watch and the development between the characters at the end was intriguing. - Daralee
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