July 17, 2006
I was in Denver this past week and had a free night so I checked out the movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. I paid $19.50 for two tickets, $4.75 for a large cherry freezie, $5.95 for a pretzel, and another $5 for popcorn (the freezie was for me).
I couldn’t wait to see this movie. I’m a huge Johnny Depp fan. I think he will one day be one of the celebs that make legend status due to his craft, but after the first half hour I struggled with this movie.
It had great stunts and effects, but the story was lost in all of the impossible feats performed by the players. I looked behind me once. There were two small children and I wondered how the slashing/dashing/mashing going on was affecting them. It was pretty gruesome at times, but I must admit I’m pretty sensitive to gore.
At the same time I’m an optimist. I just knew that the story would get better. I hoped to have a deeper look at the stories behind the hints of love, rivalry, and battle for good vs. evil in this film, but the movie not only failed to deliver a story, it robbed the audience of a great ending.
I won’t ruin it for you, but I will tell you that the entire audience was stunned by the ending. There was complete silence as people stumbled out of the theatre, wondering why they had paid big bucks for a three hour trailer whose intent was only to set up the next movie.
Sigh.
Maybe next year I will once again love Pirates of the Caribbean. What about you?
Read Planet Wisdom’s complete review and devo (excerpt below)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of adventure violence, including frightening images.
reviewed by Christopher Lyon
Planet Wisdom
Back in 2003, director Gore Verbinski and actor Johnny Depp overcame low expectations for a movie based on a theme park ride. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl” earned critical raves and made off with box office booty. But with anticipation running higher, can they make 150 minute story that ends with “to be continued” worth the trip to the theater?
