Yarrrr

I just got home from seeing Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest. I believe it was well worth the $132 million it raked in this weekend. I'm gonna try to write my review without spoilers. (Cracking knuckles, deep breath) Here we go:

Blame it on all the books on filmmaking I've read and my addiction to commentary tracks, but I find myself focusing on the craft almost every time I sit down to watch a movie. Not that I'm looking for flaws per se, I just like dissecting little parts of the film and figuring out how they did it. For this same reason, I never want to learn how to play a musical instrument. I still want to hear a song for what it is.

To tell the truth, I didn't want to like the first one. I've been burned my Disney so many times, and seeing as this was from the same director as Mouse Hunt and the producer of Armageddon, plus after two Lord of the Rings films I could care less to see Orlando Bloom wield a sword again, it barely stood a chance in my mind. I didn't believe the reviews, either. One I read was "It's the best pirate films in years!"...well, if that's true, it's up against Hook and Cutthroat Island. That's like being named the best Jethro Tull cover band...not much competition.

I didn't see it until DVD, after much insistance and pressuring of a friend of mine. I went out and bought it the next day and I don't think it left the DVD player for two weeks. Great action, great story, great performances, great special effects, great all around.

I'm glad to say that with Pirates, they didn't just take what made the first one special and repeat it tenfold. They were careful to tie into the first one while telling a new story, creating new action without going too far over the top, and having new humor while staying true to the characters.

What really impressed me was the pacing. Whatever kind of scene it was, the filmmakers took great care not to let the story get bogged down. No scene was all dramatic or all action or all humor...they'd always throw in little pauses to break the tension, yet not completely distract you from what's going on.

Okay, minor spoiler: This one ends in a cliffhanger for the third one, which kinda pissed me off. I gotta wait until Memorial Day next year to see how this turns out. I, for one, can't wait that long. I nearly cracked having to wait a year for the next Lord of the Rings, I don't know if I've got it in me this time.

Damn you, Disney!