Pirates of the Caribbean 2

[Hobbit]

Here's my review of this movie:



Go see it. Go see it today. In fact, go see it right now. What the hell are you still doing reading this instead of seeing this movie...GO!!!

On a more serious note, there are only 2 beefs I have with this movie:

1) It's quite obviously the middle of a trilogy (for those who didn't already know) and doesn't have a definitive end.

2) Geoffrey Rush isn't in it in any significance, but that can be excused, seeing as how Barbossa is dead.

One final note...this movie has a few...surprises. Anyone posting spoilers in this thread will be eaten by a Kraken, warning or no warning. If you want spoilers, ask somebody else and keep it in PMs.

 

[Avatar4321]

Already saw it. and yes i concur with number 1.

 

[Nienna]

Cool! This one is on our list, too.

 

[Dan]

I don't like the 2 hour and 51 minute running time. That's really long for a movie based on a Disney ride.

This summer has exactly two movies that I want to see:

Talladega Nights, the Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Clerks II

And then the Borat movie this fall.

 

[Hobbit]

I don't like the 2 hour and 51 minute running time. That's really long for a movie based on a Disney ride.

You and your ADD. The way I see it, I get more for my money. With a 2 1/2 hour movie (official running time is 150 minutes) at $8 admission, I'm pay $3.20/hour for some GREAT entertainment. With some crappy 1 1/2 hour movie, like so many are now, I'm getting shafted at $5.33/hour for something that's not as good.

 

[Dan]

No ADD here. Two of my favorite movies are Magnolia and Slacker. Magnolia is over 3 hours long and has one two minute sequence that could even be considered anything close to an action sequence. Slacker is literally a bunch of people around Austin, TX standing around and talking. That's it. The camera hardly ever even moves.

I guess my issue is just that I didn't feel the first one was good enough to garner a 2 1/2 hour running time. As a matter of fact, I felt the first one went on way too long. Is this one better than the first?

Rereading this post, it occurs to me that I may come across as a little bit snarky. That's not my intent, I just like Magnolia and Slacker a lot and enjoy talking about them.

 

[Hobbit]

No ADD here. Two of my favorite movies are Magnolia and Slacker. Magnolia is over 3 hours long and has one two minute sequence that could even be considered anything close to an action sequence. Slacker is literally a bunch of people around Austin, TX standing around and talking. That's it. The camera hardly ever even moves.

I guess my issue is just that I didn't feel the first one was good enough to garner a 2 1/2 hour running time. As a matter of fact, I felt the first one went on way too long. Is this one better than the first?

Rereading this post, it occurs to me that I may come across as a little bit snarky. That's not my intent, I just like Magnolia and Slacker a lot and enjoy talking about them.

I think it's better than the first one, but then again, I really, REALLY liked the first one. I thought it was awesome.

It's kinda like the way "The Empire Strikes Back" is better than the original "Star Wars." (at least, in my opinion) The first one was cool and new, but it was pretty much an introduction into a deeper, more involved plot that unfolds in the second movie and is resolved in the third.

 

[Abbey Normal]

We just got back from seeing it. Lots of laughs, and lots of action. A good time at the movies.

 

[1549]

Just got back.

Not bad.

Like Hobbit said, definately has that middle of a trilogy feeling.

A few old jokes get a little too much usage.

Overall it was enjoyable.

 

[BATMAN]

It was good - I liked the first better. Jack Sparrow didn't seem as "flamboyant" and boozed in this one in this one which was a bit of a disappointment.

 

[Jimmyeatworld]

It was good - I liked the first better. Jack Sparrow didn't seem as "flamboyant" and boozed in this one in this one which was a bit of a disappointment.

I noticed that as well. Makes me wonder if Depp had trouble getting into charecter a bit for this one, or if there was some other reason for it.

Still, a great movie. Luckily I found out before seeing it that Pirates 3 is already a done deal and they basically filmed it along with 2 like one big movie. Not knowing that the ending would have been a stinker. Apparently the guy behind me wasn't aware as he was not shy about stating his exaggerated displeasure all the way out of the theater. Seems there's always one.

 

[Hobbit]

I noticed that as well. Makes me wonder if Depp had trouble getting into charecter a bit for this one, or if there was some other reason for it.

Still, a great movie. Luckily I found out before seeing it that Pirates 3 is already a done deal and they basically filmed it along with 2 like one big movie. Not knowing that the ending would have been a stinker. Apparently the guy behind me wasn't aware as he was not shy about stating his exaggerated displeasure all the way out of the theater. Seems there's always one.

I saw a bunch of those after "The Fellowship of the Ring." It really pissed me off, too, as some of the best movies in the world don't really end, such as "The Empire Strikes Back."

As for Depp not being as boozed looking, I think it probably has something to do with the fact that this is a much darker movie and so Sparrow's quirkier habits were suppressed due to the seriousness of the situation.

 

[Dan]

I saw this tonight, and man, I'm glad I did. I had a blast.

This movie had the same feel as the first one, which is that of the "kids" movies of my youth which actually had legitimately suspenseful action and real-life danger. Not that this movie wasn't fun or anything close to real-life, but something about it, it gives off the same vibe as The Goonies, for me anyway.

It definitely helps if you've seen the first one, not that the story is a direct continuation of the first, but you'll miss a lot of references to the first one, at the very least.

Speaking of references, I love that the guys got the dog with the keys in his mouth to let them out of jail, a sneaky reference to the original Pirates of the Carribean ride.

Yet another sidenote: my friend, who I saw this with, grew up in Florida and has never been to Disney World. I explained that I grew up in NJ but had never been to the Statue of Liberty and she said it was totally different. I don't think it is.

Anyway.... the special effects blew me away, up to a very specific point. There's a creature that comes out of the water to attack Jack, if you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about. That particular scene looked like a cartoon, but the other special effects were great, especially Davey Jones's tentacles.

As for Depp's performance....

As for Depp not being as boozed looking, I think it probably has something to do with the fact that this is a much darker movie and so Sparrow's quirkier habits were suppressed due to the seriousness of the situation.

I agree with this 100%. It would ruin the tone of the movie if Sparrow were as flamboyant as he was in the first one. This one had a much darker tone than the first.

On that note, I should point out that while much of this movie is very clearly geared toward kids, there are some very mature themes and subject matter here. I think some of the characters' motivations probably confused some kids (I'm thinking specifically of an action Keira Knightley's character takes near the end of the movie).

And, I know it was rated PG-13, but I'm sure most parents thought this would be a great kids' movie, and it sort of is, but man is it pretty gruesome in parts. One of the first shots of the movie is of a crow pecking out a man's eyeball. Gross.

So, all in all, I was wrong about it being too long, etc. because I really enjoyed it a lot.

 

[Big Blue Machin]

Went to see Pirates 2, and it left me with a familiar feeling, as if I'd been here before. Then it struck me they'd remade starwars ESB at sea but with Han solo as the main character.

We have the maverick Captain Sparrow/Solo on the fastest ship in the galaxy/ocean, teamed up with the unic hero Luke/Will and (at this point) his superficially feisty woman Leia/liz who will later start to have feelings for Jack/Han. They are all trying to escape the clutches of the evil (British) empire that has taken over the ocean/Galaxy. Luke/Will discovers his father is actually still alive and not dead as originally thought and makes it his goal to free him from the forces of evil that have taken his soul.
They all go and see Jamacan yoda in the swamp and have hilarious adventures, surrounded by wierd natives and comic relief from the two pirates/droids from the first film and are reunited on the Pearl/Falcon.
After some exiting battles, the film ends on a downer as Solo/Jack ends up encased in Kraken/Carbonite.

Ok, so it's not identical but tell me there isn't a lot of 'borrowing' going on here.

All Hans Zimmer did was cannibalize the music from the first movie, and re-use the Pirates theme over and over and over. It's a good theme but there is always need to something different musically for each movie. in the music, if you rely on the same music to evoke the same emotion again, it can get very repititous


They could have cut a good half hour out of the movie, including the sword fighting on the wheel. It was supposed to be slap stick but it wasn't.

But the movie is basically brain candy.

Also, Depp's character was dumbed down. In the first movie, he was a kinda male ditz but he had underlining cunningness and intelligence.

 

[Mr. P]

Went to see Pirates 2, and it left me with a familiar feeling, as if I'd been here before. Then it struck me they'd remade starwars ESB at sea but with Han solo as the main character.

We have the maverick Captain Sparrow/Solo on the fastest ship in the galaxy/ocean, teamed up with the unic hero Luke/Will and (at this point) his superficially feisty woman Leia/liz who will later start to have feelings for Jack/Han. They are all trying to escape the clutches of the evil (British) empire that has taken over the ocean/Galaxy. Luke/Will discovers his father is actually still alive and not dead as originally thought and makes it his goal to free him from the forces of evil that have taken his soul.
They all go and see Jamacan yoda in the swamp and have hilarious adventures, surrounded by wierd natives and comic relief from the two pirates/droids from the first film and are reunited on the Pearl/Falcon.
After some exiting battles, the film ends on a downer as Solo/Jack ends up encased in Kraken/Carbonite.

Ok, so it's not identical but tell me there isn't a lot of 'borrowing' going on here.

All Hans Zimmer did was cannibalize the music from the first movie, and re-use the Pirates theme over and over and over. It's a good theme but there is always need to something different musically for each movie. in the music, if you rely on the same music to evoke the same emotion again, it can get very repititous


They could have cut a good half hour out of the movie, including the sword fighting on the wheel. It was supposed to be slap stick but it wasn't.

But the movie is basically brain candy.

Also, Depp's character was dumbed down. In the first movie, he was a kinda male ditz but he had underlining cunningness and intelligence.

Ya know what? I haven't even seen it yet, but it sounds believable to me.
'borrowing' ? nahhhh...same road map. Copy works.

 

[Jimmyeatworld]

Look hard enough and every movie made is "borrowing" from another of the same basic genre. Yeah, you can draw lines between Star Wars and Pirates, being as they are essentially adventure movies. You can also draw a line between Star Wars and countless westerns that were made years before it came out.

 

[5stringJeff]

My daughter, who has a huge crush on Orlando Bloom, made me go see this in the theaters (which I never do anymore). It was a good movie overall. Definitely one we'll rent again when it comes out on DVD.

 

[theHawk]

Kinda like the first movie, some of the fight scenes just go on and on. I thought the big sword fight on the island was never going to end. It was a good movie but I felt a little jipped at the end, I felt like I had just watched a 2+ hour commerical for the 3rd movie.

 

[Hagbard Celine]

Kinda like the first movie, some of the fight scenes just go on and on. I thought the big sword fight on the island was never going to end. It was a good movie but I felt a little jipped at the end, I felt like I had just watched a 2+ hour commerical for the 3rd movie.

It's a play on the old-timey matinee. They leave you with a cliff-hanger to wait for the next installment. I liked the movie. The fish-men were a little cheesy, but the overall movie was very entertaining.

 

[Dan]

The fish-men were a little cheesy, but the overall movie was very entertaining.

Really? I actually think those were some of the best special effects I've ever seen in a movie. Sure, they were pretty goofy (especially the hammerhead shark guy), but the effects, especially Davey Jones's tentacles were amazing.