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Pirates of the Caribbean
I wasn't expecting to see people dressed up for the film today (I thought all the really diehard fans went to the midnight show), but there were about 25 eight-year-olds in costume at the screening I went to. They were too adorable for words, though I honestly wouldn't take an eight-year-old to this film.
Had I known the whole movie was just set-up for the third installment, I would have waited to watch it. I do like this universe (the characters and basic situations), but I've never been able to rewatch the first movie, so going into this I had pretty low expectations. I think that served me well.
This film was at least an hour too long, and I really could have done without 90% of the whole Davy Jones thing, but there were two things I really liked: the last swordfight, and the exploration of what honor means. That last sword-fighting scene was really probably my favorite swordfight in any movie, ever; I absolutely loved how they went BEYOND over the top, and took it all the way into outer space, or whatever the metaphor above "over the top" would be. I was laughing like a complete idiot through the whole thing, especially when the water wheel broke free and they kept fighting on it, and when Elizabeth and the two idiots kept passing around their two swords to fight Davy Jones' men. I thought it was hilarious and fun.
I also liked the exploration of "what honor means" that affected every major character throughout the film. I didn't notice this, particularly, when watching--it came to me when I was reflecting on why the portrayal of Norrington made me crazy. Initially, I didn't like what they did to Norrington's character at the end of the film--I couldn't *believe* he would cave into East Indies Trading Company bad guy like that--but as I think about it *every* major character in the film ends up with her/his honor compromised, and needing to be rectified, in the next film, so I'm still hopeful that they're actually setting Norrington up to have more to do in the next film. I *really* hope he's setting up EITC bad guy in a big way. Otherwise I'm going to be really disappointed, because in the last film Norrington struck me as the person least likely to compromise his honor.
And thinking about this made me realize that the whole plot is driven by devil's bargains, and by the attempt to maintain personal honor in circumstances when you are driven to choose among your loyalties. Governor Swann twice betrays Will to save Elizabeth, entering into a devil's bargain with EITC Badguy similar to Jack's bargain with Davy Jones. Jack is so bedevilled by his own satanic pact that he never really does make the choice to do the right thing in this film, though I loved Elizabeth's conviction that he would surprise even himself someday. Elizabeth remains true to Will, but only at the ultimate sacrifice of Jack (and her own honor) in a scene that actually felt perfect, to me. Elizabeth does have the perfect pragmatism of a pirate, as Jack himself pointed out, and I love how she used his own desires against him, and yet later regretted having made that choice. (I also thought it perfectly fitting that he went down with the Pearl). What is really interesting about Elizabeth's choice, though, was that in choosing faithfulness to Will above Jack, she has inadvertantly convinced Will she is in love with Jack. Since I actually think their triangle is an interesting one (unlike 99% of love triangles in history), I think they might do something worthwhile with this in POTC 3.
And to continue with my theme of honor, Will himself also plays with his honor in this. His first loyalty is to Elizabeth, but he hopes to convince Jack to embrace the cause, working from the paradigm that women should always be protected (I assume) and that Jack will naturally share that conviction. I like that when Jack basically sells him out to Davy Jones, Will feels in no way honor bound to keep bargains with Jones (he wagered his soul but never meant to keep the bargain, it was just a ruse to find out where the key was--there's the pirate in Will!) but he does mean to keep his vow to his father. The fact that he cannot, currently, means that like the others, his honor has been somewhat compromised at the end of the film--but less than anyone else's. I wonder what that will mean for the sequel. I *hope* it means it will have a little more substance and character development, and a little less of the boring action sequences.
It's not that I don't like action romps--like I said, I really enjoyed the swordfighting sequence on the island, and I also even enjoyed the escape-from-cannibals sequence (though don't even get me started on the depiction of race in this movie. Good grief!)--but I would really have liked a little more character development. Will's interactions with his dad were really the only gestures in that direction, and probably for that reason I enjoyed Will a lot more in this movie than most of the other characters. I really wish they had taken half an hour away from sadistic disgusting Davy Jones scenes and given that to Norrington and Elizabeth--giving each of them a little more to do, maybe.
Had I known the whole movie was just set-up for the third installment, I would have waited to watch it. I do like this universe (the characters and basic situations), but I've never been able to rewatch the first movie, so going into this I had pretty low expectations. I think that served me well.
This film was at least an hour too long, and I really could have done without 90% of the whole Davy Jones thing, but there were two things I really liked: the last swordfight, and the exploration of what honor means. That last sword-fighting scene was really probably my favorite swordfight in any movie, ever; I absolutely loved how they went BEYOND over the top, and took it all the way into outer space, or whatever the metaphor above "over the top" would be. I was laughing like a complete idiot through the whole thing, especially when the water wheel broke free and they kept fighting on it, and when Elizabeth and the two idiots kept passing around their two swords to fight Davy Jones' men. I thought it was hilarious and fun.
I also liked the exploration of "what honor means" that affected every major character throughout the film. I didn't notice this, particularly, when watching--it came to me when I was reflecting on why the portrayal of Norrington made me crazy. Initially, I didn't like what they did to Norrington's character at the end of the film--I couldn't *believe* he would cave into East Indies Trading Company bad guy like that--but as I think about it *every* major character in the film ends up with her/his honor compromised, and needing to be rectified, in the next film, so I'm still hopeful that they're actually setting Norrington up to have more to do in the next film. I *really* hope he's setting up EITC bad guy in a big way. Otherwise I'm going to be really disappointed, because in the last film Norrington struck me as the person least likely to compromise his honor.
And thinking about this made me realize that the whole plot is driven by devil's bargains, and by the attempt to maintain personal honor in circumstances when you are driven to choose among your loyalties. Governor Swann twice betrays Will to save Elizabeth, entering into a devil's bargain with EITC Badguy similar to Jack's bargain with Davy Jones. Jack is so bedevilled by his own satanic pact that he never really does make the choice to do the right thing in this film, though I loved Elizabeth's conviction that he would surprise even himself someday. Elizabeth remains true to Will, but only at the ultimate sacrifice of Jack (and her own honor) in a scene that actually felt perfect, to me. Elizabeth does have the perfect pragmatism of a pirate, as Jack himself pointed out, and I love how she used his own desires against him, and yet later regretted having made that choice. (I also thought it perfectly fitting that he went down with the Pearl). What is really interesting about Elizabeth's choice, though, was that in choosing faithfulness to Will above Jack, she has inadvertantly convinced Will she is in love with Jack. Since I actually think their triangle is an interesting one (unlike 99% of love triangles in history), I think they might do something worthwhile with this in POTC 3.
And to continue with my theme of honor, Will himself also plays with his honor in this. His first loyalty is to Elizabeth, but he hopes to convince Jack to embrace the cause, working from the paradigm that women should always be protected (I assume) and that Jack will naturally share that conviction. I like that when Jack basically sells him out to Davy Jones, Will feels in no way honor bound to keep bargains with Jones (he wagered his soul but never meant to keep the bargain, it was just a ruse to find out where the key was--there's the pirate in Will!) but he does mean to keep his vow to his father. The fact that he cannot, currently, means that like the others, his honor has been somewhat compromised at the end of the film--but less than anyone else's. I wonder what that will mean for the sequel. I *hope* it means it will have a little more substance and character development, and a little less of the boring action sequences.
It's not that I don't like action romps--like I said, I really enjoyed the swordfighting sequence on the island, and I also even enjoyed the escape-from-cannibals sequence (though don't even get me started on the depiction of race in this movie. Good grief!)--but I would really have liked a little more character development. Will's interactions with his dad were really the only gestures in that direction, and probably for that reason I enjoyed Will a lot more in this movie than most of the other characters. I really wish they had taken half an hour away from sadistic disgusting Davy Jones scenes and given that to Norrington and Elizabeth--giving each of them a little more to do, maybe.
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And I agree that the female characters in most of the movies I've seen this summer definitely don't measure up to the women of BSG. (Actually, the women in most TV shows don't measure up, either. BSG is just a great show for women's roles, no question about it.)
I agree with you about Keira Knightley and her anorexia of doom, btw. But at least the men's clothes disguised that a little bit.
don't read this if you don't want to hear me rant. I won't mind! ;-)
Yes, BSG sets a new bar as far as women's roles go, no doubt about it, and it's one of the main reasons I fangirl the show. I'd say I was being unfair to compare other female roles to those, except that that's where I think the benchmark should be. I'm just frustrated against the regressive gender politics of mainstream cinema at the moment. It's actually got worse--in the 80s and 90s there were albeit clumsy but genuine attempts to write strong female leads. Now the fight seems to have been dropped and we're seeing all these girly roles glamourised again. Even that would be ok if the girly girls were fully rounded characters, but they don't seem to be--they are too frequently played by wispy anorexic actresses with personality lobotomies who look pretty for the camera in great costumes and make-up but can't carry a weighty line or convey character complexity very well at all.
I was so relieved when they got Keira into the boy's clothes. Her jutting jawline and her non-existent waist and hips really scare me. But her fake cleavage freaks me even more. The anorexia is frightening, but my concerns go further than that. I find it disturbing in period movies when a character who is meant to be attractive for that period is played by someone who fits the idealised body image of today. It sends a message that tall angular women were always beautiful. That's not true and it's damaging for those who don't fit that model. At a more subconscious level it also sends a message that if you want to be the equal of a man you need to look like a man, or at least a boy. Keira's character doesn't have to worry about fighting opponents taller than her who have longer reach, or about her breasts getting in the way of her sword fighting (as a martial artist, I understand why the Amazons cut them off!) and she probably doesn't have to worry about her period since she's too darn skinny to have one. I'd just rather have seen a more womanly actress in the role. Or else, just hire a boy and be done with it! (of course they wouldn't do that... but I end up concluding that they wish they could have)
Rant over. I feel loads better! *g* If you actually read this: *hugs*
Re: don't read this if you don't want to hear me rant. I won't mind! ;-)