Toon Talk: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
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(c) Disney
Verbinski and his screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio vainly try to tie up all the lose ends that are unraveling before our eyes as the film barrels along noisily. Matters are not made any easier when most of the expository dialogue is either bellowed over the Sturm and Drang or uttered incomprehensibly by Harris’ Tia Dalma in her thick, faux-Jamaican accent.
Breathtaking effects abound, most visibly in the climactic whirlpool face off between the Pearl and the Dutchman, and certain performances (Depp naturally, Nighy covertly, Rush especially) rise to even higher levels of hammy exuberance. And let us not forget the series’ unsung MVPs, crewmembers Pintel (Lee Arenberg), Ragetti (Mackenzie Crook), Gibbs (Kevin R. McNally) and Marty (Martin Klebba), who all manage to claw out their own little corners in the spotlight. Less successfully, the romance of Bloom’s Will and Knightley’s Swann is reignited hastily and sloppily and with plenty of swoon factor. Oh, and Rolling-Stone-who-has-gathered-a-lot-of-moss Keith Richards appears briefly in his over-hyped cameoas Jack’s poopdeck pap.
The first Pirates film delved gleefully into the mythology behind Walt Disney’s classic thrill ride, while the second sailed on eye-poppingly gonzo set pieces. Like many concluding chapters of a trilogy, this film tries awfully hard to top its predecessors and, at nearly three hours in length, the seams start to show and the false endings start to stack up … and don’t let the end credits full you, its not over even then. The films’ producers have hinted at further adventures of these Pirates of the Caribbean, but they should really just bury their treasure and end it with this End.
Toon Talk Rating: C+
(c) Disney
Rebellious Rouges Edition
In this ‘Toon Talk’ feature, I will briefly highlight a recommended film or DVD, outside of the Disney universe, of similar interest to the main subject.
THE BLACK PIRATE
1926 - United Artists
Long before Johnny and Orlando - heck, even before Errol Flynn buckled his first swash - there was Douglas Fairbanks. The dashing matinee idol made women swoon (even in those black leather shorts) and men grew pencil-thin moustaches just to keep up. His daring exploits as the title character, out to avenge his father’s death, thrilled audiences of the day; his influence can still be seen in today’s Pirate movies - it is here that Fairbanks first did his classic “knife-down-the-sail�? stunt, a bit that is just as thrilling today. DVD available from Image Entertainment (silent, black and white, not rated). |
Coming Soon:
- More penguins hit the big screen - and the beach - in Sony’s new animated comedy Surf’s Up (June 8).
- Everyone’s favorite girl detective is back in Warner’s all-new Nancy Drew (June 15).
- HSM mania continues with the new Disney DVD High School Musical: The Concert - Extreme Access Pass (June 26).
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TOON TALK AWARDS WATCH Congratulations to Disney’s Saturn Award winners, presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films:
Dead Man’s Chest also received four nominations from the MTV Movie Awards:
The MTV Movie Awards are voted on by viewers, so go to MTV.com/movies to vote. Awards will be presented, live on MTV, June 3. |
-- Kirby C. Holt
-- Logos by William C. Searcy, Magic Bear Graphics,
http://www.cafepress.com/MagicBear
Kirby is a lifelong Disney fan and film buff. He is also an avid list maker and chronic ellipsis user ...
Took Talk: Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt is posted whenever there's something new to review.
The opinions expressed by our Kirby C. Holt, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted May 25, 2007