A Car-Wreck of a Movie, Savvy?*
IMDb entry
Official site
Despite ample caution from an army of critics, last night I ventured to my local Odeon to watch Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. What I observed was one of the most incoherent cinematic experiences I have ever come across. It’s a mess.
Now, before we go any further I’d like to say I thought that first Pirates film was excellent, even if was as cheesy as teenage boy’s bed sheets. Pirates 2 had its moments, but already the franchise had begun to slide and loose its focus. However, figuring out what happened to the narrative in last night’s disaster, I feel will take me years to fathom.
Quite a few critics had said that the film is confusing. It’s very confusing. But knowing this last week, I watched both previous movies and was up-to-speed on the story line. I think I just about held my own against the baffling plot, an accomplishment I feel quite proud of, and may put on my résumé. The sheer number of enchanted charts, magical boxes, lost souls, and charmed trinkets that were central to the story, meant that the viewer struggled to keep track of who was searching for what?
The catch is of course, that the script wasn’t finished when World’s End went into production. Inevitably time, and the number of loose ends needing tying up (a hangover from the confused second movie), meant that the story rambles on, thrashing around like a wounded lion. A well-aimed bullet from a decent director (i.e. anyone but Gore Verbinski), about 90 minutes in, would have saved everyone a lot of time and money.
There has also been a lot of talk about the violence in the film. I think most kids have been desensitised to most of the stuff in this film, but those whose children are a little less streetwise, would be wise to be cautious. There is a lot ‘fantasy violence’ and a mildly harrowing opening scene involving the hanging of a young boy (although it’s not like you see the poor scamp’s neck being broken).
The film also had a distinct lack of humour. The first, and even the second film in parts, had some excellent physical comedy, but sadly this offering was restricted to Jack’s admittedly amusing lines and the very funny firing of a monkey out of a cannon (which surely can’t fail, can it?). This movie was darker, even at times sombre.
Nevertheless, for all these criticisms, I actually think I enjoyed the movie. The film’s CGI effects are simply astonishing and easily knock any of the many superhero offerings into a cocked hat. During the introduction they played the new Fantastic Four trailer, and it looked underwhelming against the amazingly beautiful world crafted in At World’s End.
Tempests threw enormous galleons around as they launched cannonballs into battle. The tormented crew of the Flying Dutchman, cursed to slowly mutate into sea creatures, were simply awesome as they battled with their human foes. As disorderly as the movie’s narrative arch was, it would take a genuine sourpuss not to enjoy some of the fantastical set pieces created.
Rumours of a fourth film are rife and the ending of the film certainly sets one up. This would undoubtedly be a mistake if it were to be based around the surviving cast. Keira Knightly has wisely ruled herself out of another instalment, but the character of Jack Sparrow, so fundamental to the formulaic nature of the movie, will no-doubt be crucial to the marketing potential of any further movies.
For me the characters are spent. Each one, with the possible exception of the enigmatic and complex Sparrow, have travelled their cathartic journey and have – through experiencing their tribulations – developed as far as possible. The forth film, if it is indeed inevitable, must take a new direction and leave the narrative disaster of this trilogy behind.
6/10 – Utterly bewildering, but stunningly beautiful
*Sorry about the piracy parlance, but it seems everyone is doing it.
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