I don’t care what anyone says, I liked “Dead Man’s Chest”
I know I’m an opinion writer and not a movie critic, but I’ve got an opinion about a movie, and I’m going to spill it.
I was, frankly, surprised when I heard more negative feedback than positive about Disney’s recent film “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” People complained that it was too long, that it was just a segue from the first movie to the third, and that the ending sucked.
I was perplexed by all of this.
I loved that movie. Loved, with a capital “L.” To me, it wasn’t long enough. I could have happily watched another hour’s worth, like I had with Peter Jackson’s “King Kong” and every single “Lord of the Rings” movie.
Anyone who’s ever seen “Star Wars” (the original trilogy) knows that the second movie in a trilogy always seems like a transition. In order to preserve suspense and make a worthwhile film, moviemakers have to set the stage for the third movie, which often involves leaving the audience hanging.
In “Star Wars” this meant putting Han Solo in carbonite. In “Pirates” it meant … well, I won’t spoil it. You’ll just have to watch it yourself.
You know everything is going to turn out fine in the next film, don’t you? Aren’t you filled with suspense now? Aren’t you insanely curious to find out just how the rest of the cast is going to get Jack out of the mess he’s in?
These films have style and variety. It’s not just men and women shooting at each other with flintlocks and swinging at each other with cutlasses. It’s not just the British Navy versus the rogue British pirates. It’s Chinese pirates. Jamaican pirates. Midget pirates.
And…it’s not just mortal beings, either. “Pirates” takes into account seafaring tales and superstitions from all over the world and melds them into one humdinger of a swashbuckling tale.
You’ve got the Kraken (Norse mythology), Davy Jones (I’m not sure, but I think his myth originated in the British Royal Navy), The Flying Dutchman (a myth known practically worldwide), ghost ships, cursed sailors, even Aztec mythos from the time of Cortés. Dude, the Kraken is awesome. We don’t have enough movies nowadays with monsters that have tentacles.
We’re all focused on bats and werewolves and other furry monsters, and not on huge, slimy aquatic leviathans. They’ve been doing better lately, though. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” had the Watcher, and “Hellboy” had the Ogdru-Jahad and the Behemoth.
Okay, I’m going to step off the soapbox now. I admitted last semester that I had terrible taste in movies, so whatever you do, don’t take my word for it on this issue.
I invite you to judge for yourself as always, but I leave you with this: no matter how many negative comments this movie gets, it’s got my vote.
Andrew is a senior studying mass communication.
Columnists' opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of The Spectrum