Pirates of the Caribbean 2

(Movie Review)

Ah, alas, here I cannot use Japan as an excuse for my tardiness, as I was back in the states when this movie came out last summer.

Funny thing about these summer blockbuster movies. During the first couple weeks after they come out you think you absolutely have to see it in order to live a fulfilled life. But if you wait a month or so, like I did (mostly because all my friends went and saw it opening weekend without me, and then there was no one to go with), all of a sudden the hype goes away and you forget all about it.

Well, as you can see from this blog, I’ve been on a bit of a video kick lately. And while strolling through the video store, I thought I might as well throw this one into the cart and see if it was any good.

Turns out I really enjoyed it. I know there are a lot of reasons why it might be fashionable to dislike this movie: because it is made by Disney, because it is a summer blockbuster, because it is based of a theme park attraction, because it is a sequel, because of the heartthrob actors in this movie and its popularity with middle school girls….

But when you get right down to it, it’s actually just a really fun adventure movie: part Indiana Jones, part Treasure Island, part 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Sure some of the jokes are a bit corny, some of the plot doesn’t really make senses, (and for that matter, neither does a lot of the physics), but there’s enough pirates, sword battles, sea monsters, and explosions to satisfy the 12 year old boy in all of us.

Although the movie was bloodless, there was a fairly high body count by the time it was all over, and I’m a little surprised it got released under the Disney banner instead of under Touchstone or one of their other labels. Maybe this is a sign of how the standards have changed over the last 20 years. (I also have it one good authority from a New Zealand friend that the word “Bugger” is offensive enough over there that only in the last few years has it been allowed on television, but Johnny Depp makes good use of it in this Disney movie.)

It was nice that this movie brought back all of the major characters, and even most of the minor ones, from the previous movie. I always enjoy a franchise that takes care of its casting continuity. In fact the only person I thought was noticeable missing from the first movie was that woman on Johnny Depp’s crew (what was her name again?).

As a fan of “The Office”, I especially enjoyed the fact that McKenzie Crook, who played a minor character in the first movie, was brought back and given a slightly expanded role. What do you reckon, did the cult following “The Office” has in the US play any bearing on this casting decision, or did they just like his character from the first movie?

And now that I’ve finally gotten around to seeing this movie, I hear the next sequel is only a few months away. I imagine I’ll be seeing that as well when it comes out.

Link of the Day
While Friday's protest outside of President Bush's East Grand Rapids speech was one of the largest antiwar gatherings since the start of the "War on Terror," the local corporate media failed to adequately explain why people were protesting. Similarly, the media failed to examine Bush's claims and reported them uncritically.

Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Movie Review (Scripted)