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The Johnny Depp Show
This summer brought us part 2 of the 3 part Johnny Depp show otherwise known as �Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man�s Chest�. These films seem to have been derived from a long lost time in cinema an era of the period action adventure films that are nothing more than pure fun and sheer joy. The kind of films that starred Douglas Fairbanks and/or Errol Flynn that were sometimes directed by Michael Curtiz. These aren�t the kind of films that David Lean, Sir Richard Attenborough or Ridley Scott (the masters of the historical epics) made or would ever make. Those craftsmen made epic stories about larger than life people that existed in worlds foreign while at the same time making deeply personal character driven stories. These Pirate films are not made for this purpose (well they do exist in worlds foreign), nor should they be. They are made to excite the inner child within. These are the epitome of what a summer film should be about�Escapism.
Now don�t for a second think that I believe that the cinema�s sole existence is to create a product meant to help you enter into a world where your rent, car payment, imminent divorce, or god-awful job do not exist. That is of course one of the cinema�s purposes. However, the cinema should also be a place where you can find art that will consume your days and nights and foster discussion for the ages. A place where new ideas can be introduced and belief structures can be challenged. This movie falls under that first category. Your mind won�t be challenged, belief structures won�t be shattered or questioned, but you will forget that your kid flunked biology, if only for 2 and a half hours.
Now, I bring this up because critics sometimes forget this. They sit and judge all movies as if they are meant to be Citizen Kane. Michael Bay is one filmmaker that continuously suffers from this critical pretension. His films are shameless, unapologetically flamboyant escapist action films. The kind where there is really no message and the characters are just props to go from one incredible action set piece to the next. Critics (as usual missing the pulse of the nation) hate this. Now when I say all this about Bay I do not excuse the abomination that was �Pearl Harbor�. �Pearl Harbor� was a film that wanted and wished so hard to be Lean, but really ended up playing out as a bad period soap opera set in the early days of WWII. People need to know what they are walking into and what the film is supposed to be. Now with this in mind I�ll say this�Pirates was fun. A whole lot of fun. The film does start a little slow, but it picks up and picks up fast. By the time the third act kicks into gear you don�t have a second to breathe and believe you me, you don�t want to. There are some of the most incredible action set pieces that I have ever seen. One of many that comes to mind is the three man sword fight that goes from one end of an island to the other.
So, action aside there is also the cast that has to be considered. Johnny Depp steals the show�again. In the first one he made the film. In this one he continues stealing scene after scene with that impressively crafted character. There is rare a case when you watch a role unfold on the screen that you can�t imagine being played by anyone else. Depp�s Captain Jack Sparrow is one of those rare occurrences. No one, and I mean no one could ever play Captain Jack Sparrow successfully.
As far as the rest of them go. Orlando Bloom needs to find out how to be a charismatic actor. In fact he needs to find out how to act. He looks great in the role, however, beyond his aesthetic appeal, he lacks any amount of weight. Keira Knightley (an always delight upon these sad eyes) plays her role wonderfully. She fully embraces the fun that is going on around her and carries with her a dark side that unfolds very well. Over the past few years she has been unfolding nicely as an actress. The rest of the cast are wonderfully cast, especially the unrecognizable (thanks to the incredible SFX) Bill Nighy. Stellan Skarsgaard does wonderfully as Bootstrap Bill. The rest of the supporting cast does exceptional, especially all the pirates.
So there you have it. A movie that is worth seeing (and judging from the box office you already have seen it) and worth owning on DVD when it is finally released (my best guess is sometime just before Christmas). The final note I will make is that I am thoroughly happy with the way that they are fleshing out Knightley�s role. These films are about her. They opened with her in the first one and I can almost guarantee you that they will close with her in the last one. Remember, she was the one obsessed with pirates. She is the one that you are slowly watching become one through her various acts of treachery and dishonesty. She is not the sweet aristocrat. She is a pirate.
--Mr. Blaine
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man�s Chest, starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloon, and Keira Knightley, directed by Gore Verbinsky, 2006, Disney.
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 The MMC Movie Club is coming soon! Keep your eye out for it...
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