Pirates of the Caribbean

Thanks to my daughter's newly-found interest in pirates, I will be watching (partially rewatching) all the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, which is a perfect opportunity for a thread.

(Mid-titles have been added later.)

The Curse of the Black Pearl

"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" from 2003 is an opening movie. It looks like it was supposed to be a stand-alone thing, maybe in a case it doesn't catch on, like many other pirate movies before, so it's one that can be watched on its own. The movie holds pretty well, I think, although, I changed and it felt a bit lacking plot-wise. Still has strong performances from Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush, and it's generally enjoyable adventure flick.

An interesting thing, however. Initially, Will Turner was meant to be the main hero and the main focus of the story, with Jack Sparrow being more of a comedic-relief sidekick, but with Johnny Depp stealing every scene, it changed. As a result, we're getting a bit more balanced dynamic than the usually and a bit worn-out hero's journey. And thank god for that because Orlando Bloom wouldn't be able to pull this train on his own.

Out of the first three movies, known also as the Verbinski trilogy, this one has the strongest focus on morals of what is happening. There is the titular curse, which turns out to be way more karmic, and all the actions of the characters revolve around that. And that is something that was a bit lost later. So, if this movie didn't sell itself to you, you probably should abandon the other two. I might change my mind when I get to part 4 ("On Stranger Tides"), so remember to like and subscribe.

Dead Man's Chest

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (2006) was thought as one half of two-part arc (something that was started back then by either "The Matrix" or "Kill Bill"). The plot is more ambiguous and everyone plays for themselves, either for survival or more business-centred goals. Or both. This movie dives deeper into mythologisation of the world. It looks like the success of the first movie gave the creators more confidence.

The movie seems to be a bit clueless, but it's not really bad if we keep in mind it's actually a blockbuster. If a blockbuster is still even somewhat enjoyable 20 years later, it's a good sign.

I can definitely appreciate the visuals. The first movie felt more like real world with some supernatural elements, but "Dead Man's Chest" is charting a new territory: its own reality that is growing more conscious of itself. And that I liked.

One thing I might have remembered but forgotten is Tom Hollander who plays Lord Cutler Becket, who is one of the two main villains here. Also one who doesn't get vindicated by his backstory, unlike Davy Jones who, as a not cool guy he is, had his reasons. No, Cutler Becket is just plain evil capitalism (or maybe mercantilism in this context) in fancy clothes. Actors in "Pirates" movies seem to enjoy their roles a lot, but Tom Hollander seems to be the biggest enjoyer this time around.

At World's End

And like that we're smoothly sailing into "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," which further expands the mythologisation. Shipwreck Cove is an excellent example: a huge pirate fortress which is built from wrecks of many ships. Or the parlay meeting on a small atol.

We leave any pretences of reality behind us, but it's actually one of the more positive things here. The plot is such a gambit pile-up that my wife said she has lost a track of who's on which ship at times.

The third part is longer than the previous two, clocking at almost 3 hours, but not to its benefit. It looks like the creators wanted to put too much into the movie and the whole thing drags a bit without tying all the loose ends in one grande finale but rather settles for 2 or 3 smaller ones. And then the cliffhanger. :D

I really hope they did their homework in "On Stranger Tides" (and there are chances, as it was based on a book).

Generally on the Gore Verbinski's trilogy

So that's the Verbinski trilogy, which is very ambitious in terms of blockbusters and sometimes bites its own tail, but it's not a waste of time to watch it with your family. Especially, if you like pirates.

The world looks like a perfect setting for an open-world game. I'm just googling that there was an adventure game, with the plot closer to the movie. But I was thinking about something without Jack Sparrow in the centre.

A note about the music. The first movie has Klaus Badelt's score, whereas later, Hans Zimmer steps in, and I think I prefer his arrangements. Nothing I can put my finger on, but they feel more modern.

And one more observation. Both "Dead Man's Chest" and "At World's End" were soaked in this nostalgia for the old days (piracy) being irreversibly replaced by the new days (represented by East India Company).

On Stranger Tides

With "On Stranger Tides," I'm moving to this part of franchise which I didn't see before. After Gore Verbinski's trilogy, the show runners (it's only fair to call them like that) decided to use existing material and shoehorned Tim Powers' book to fit Jack Sparrow and friends. I thought it's a novel approach that far in the franchise, which gave us an uneven outcome.

First, the far and deep mythologisation takes a step back, and the action starts in Europe, in London, and is more rooted in reality. There is even a historical character of Edward "Blackbeard" Teach, who's played by Ian McShane, although, much less hammy than I imagined knowing him from other movies. He has a really cool ship.

I'll be honest, the film had a weird pacing, and issues with characters out of their character. As the result, Jack Sparrow felt more like an addition to the story. I know he was meant to be like that in the first movie, and it's not a terrible thing, but it didn't feel like intended here. As if they wrote him in after establishing the main plot. As a result, it feels a bit off.

Dead Man Tell No Tales

And that's how we get to "Dead Men Tell No Tale," which is again an original story, and for better. The opening sequence of bank heist on a tropical island [sic!] is nothing short of high-concept cinema. The rest of the movie follows it. Jack is more in the centre, and there is new Turner and his love interest too. Feels like repetition, but it's an entertainment entry, not high culture, so I forgive it.

Javier Bardem plays the villain, dreadful Captain Salazar (after his wife, Penelope Cruz was in the 4th instalment), and he got a Raspberry nomination in the category of the worst supporting actor, but I respectfully disagree. He played the role as he should have. His ship and his crew and himself reminded me of the artistic style from the "Blasphemous" world.

So, to conclude, this was probably one of the more entertaining parts since the first one. And with interesting visuals (like the crystal island which became a map itself). The sixth instalment is in works, so till then, space cowboy.