it be too late to alter course
Apr. 7th, 2011 03:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
arishaSo as I'm leaving for Disneyland this weekend I've been reading Disneyland forums a lot, and as a result of the On Stranger Tides promotion that the park is doing there are several Pirates of the Caribbean-related threads that were recently started. I was fairly excited to read these threads until I remembered the crucial point that everyone hates these movies but me. Not Curse of the Black Pearl, most people seem to be okay with that one, but anytime anyone mentions Dead Man's Chest or At World's End it's open season. And I am getting really quite annoyed at all these people posting things like "The only reason people watch the sequels is for Johnny Depp" or "The only thing good about the sequels was the special effects." So, with the hopes of injecting some Pirates positivity into the Internets, here is PART ONE (because it is four a.m. whoops) of
FIFTEEN REASONS WHY I THINK THE PIRATES SEQUELS ARE AWESOME
(... that have nothing to do with special effects or Johnny Depp.)
1. The Music
I am listing this first because I read through the past couple days of Fandom Secrets today and was STOKED to see a secret about movie soundtracks turn into a Pirates soundtrack appreciation thread. Needless to say, I agree with everyone who heaps praise upon these scores, but I agree even more if you say you prefer the music from the sequels to the music from Curse of the Black Pearl. Not because the CotBP music is bad, because it definitely isn't, but because the sequel music manages to take a lot of the themes used in CotBP and add a lot more variety and depth to them. As a result, the Pirates soundtracks are a great mix of music, some of it really action-adventurey, some of it sad and haunting, and some of it just fun to listen to. I could probably ramble on for pages about each of the tracks on the soundtracks, but I shall try to restrain myself and only quickly comment on a few:
"Wheel of Fortune." This is from the crazy battle on Isla Cruces, but, as I have rambled about before, I love that one of the most action-packed parts of this track gets played over the shots of Will just standing there trying to figure out where the heart is. THINKING IS EXCITING! :D
"The Kraken." I love that the organ is used so heavily here. Davy Jones plays the organ so it definitely makes sense to feature it in the kraken's theme!
"Up is Down." I don't care how ridiculous this scene is, I love it! And the music for it makes me happy. :D
"At Wit's End." This begins and ends with music from when the Pearl is sailing to the ends of the earth (LOVE those scenes!), but I also like the bit that goes from 5:16 to 6:06, which accompanies a scene of the Dutchman blowing ships up - perhaps not the kind of music you'd expect to hear there!
Unfortunately, as usual my most favourite part of the score got left off the official soundtrack. Here's a fanmade version of the minute of music that some fans have fittingly titled "Part of the Ship, Part of the Crew":
I seriously love that bit with the choir. <3 It just fits the scene so well. And no worries, I'm sure I'll ramble about this scene in tomorrow's installment!
In conclusion I cannot wait for the On Stranger Tides soundtrack!! :D
2. Norrington
Was Norrington underused in At World's End? Yes, probably; I would've loved to see more of him. But before Dead Man's Chest there's no way I even would've said that. Norrington was the boring character who was just there to give Elizabeth some conflict and to be a foil to Will and Jack; if he hadn't been included in the sequels I wouldn't have missed him at all. But then Dead Man's Chest came out and he was awesome in it!! He had conflict, he had character development, he was actually breaking rules! I especially love his last scene in DMC: he's stolen the Letter of Marque and filled in his name, he's dropped Jones' heart onto Beckett's desk, he knows the ball's in his court but you can't read anything on his face besides fatigue. I love him in AWE too but I really wish we could've seen more of him; in the sequels Norrington developed into a really compelling character.
I am also forever secretly hoping for a hungover!Norrington audio commentary, where he would just say snarky remarks after everyone else's lines. An extended version of this (annoyingly quiet) scene, basically:
Man~~ I remember when the first promo pictures of Norrington in Dead Man's Chest were released, and I was so completely confused about what they had done with him. Sort of the same confusion I'm feeling now re: Barbossa! So hopefully that turns out just as great. :D
3. The foreshadowing and the callbacks
I've loved callbacks even before I had a word for them, so I love that the Pirates sequels are filled with way too many to even list here. But here are a few off the top of my head:
· "Keep a weather eye on the horizon" is said in all three movies. I kinda wish it was in a totally different context each time, but oh well: the first time it's Elizabeth telling Jack to watch for the Royal Navy ships, and the other two times it's Will telling Elizabeth he'll be back!
· There is a transitional shot of the Black Pearl in At World's End that uses the same angle and the same music as a transitional shot of the Interceptor in Curse of the Black Pearl.
· In At World's End, when the other characters first see Jack in the Locker, he's standing atop the mast of his ship just like he was in his very first scene in Curse of the Black Pearl.
· Barbossa calling Elizabeth "Mrs. Turner" at the end of At World's End echos his calling her "Miss Turner" back in Curse of the Black Pearl when he thought that was her name. And right after, Elizabeth tells Jack that it "never would've worked out" between them, which is exactly what Jack says to her at the end of CotBP. x)
Seriously, I love this stuff. I guess it's kind of unrealistic, but even so, I think referencing previous lines or scenes is a great way to tie a series together and make it feel more like a cohesive whole.
I also love the way that the trilogy manages to include some foreshadowing without being heavyhanded about it. It's kind of funny to me that both Governor Swann and Bootstrap come very close to flat-out telling Elizabeth that Will is going to be the captain of the Flying Dutchman, and yet I was still surprised when it happened!! I also love the way that certain moments in the first movie were retroactively turned into foreshadowing - as I recall, my friends disagree with me on this one, but I quite enjoy CotBP!Will threatening to "be lost to Davy Jones' Locker." I also think it's cool how they were able to shift the function of Jack's compass. I mean, anyone who has only watched CotBP will think that the compass points the way to the Isla de Muerta, but since none of the characters actually say that's what it does, the writers were able to make it so that it points to what you want most, and in that way keep using it for another couple of movies. I'm sure this annoys some people but I think it's pretty creative. :)
And I'm not quite sure what to label this, but I also love the way certain items move around throughout the trilogy, sometimes without all that much attention being drawn to them. The sword Will makes at the beginning of Curse of the Black Pearl moves to Norrington and then to Jones and in the last moments of At World's End is the sword that seals Will's fate. I love stuff like that.
4. Davy Jones
I'm not usually big on movie villains (although in musicals they usually get the best songs!), but oh man I LOVE Davy Jones. I think what I find most interesting about him is that, before we see him, all we really know is that he terrifies all of the characters who know anything about him. And while I think he lives up to that reputation pretty well (at least better than Barbossa lives up to the "a man so evil that Hell itself spat him back out" rumour), I love that he manages to do so while having no poker face whatsoever. I LOVE that his emotions show on his face all the time, like he's never able to hide them. I think it contributes to making him a really sympathetic character, even when he treats his crew wretchedly and even when he's fighting against our protagonists.
I also love his accent and the unusual movements he makes. And of course it doesn't hurt that his first scene is one of my favourites of the trilogy. I just love his exchange with Will (as the writers point out on their audio commentary, this is where Will realizes that Jack has screwed him over haha):
(I also very much enjoy Jack's "Oh" at the end of this clip hahaha.)
5. The Tea Party Scene
I was about to be very upset that I couldn't find this scene on YouTube, but then I discovered that a chopped-up version of it exists in this inexplicable compilation (skip to 7:07):
Four years later and I still love that this scene exists. Jones and Beckett arguing and Will prodding them on but the whole time he is awkwardly drinking that tea, oh man I love it! I guess I will also use this section to point out my love of the rivalry between Jones, who is ruled by his emotions, and Beckett, who is ruled by the rules of "good business." It's a very interesting dynamic between two very different characters who don't seem to realize how similar their goals are. I especially love the scene where Beckett brings his men aboard the Dutchman and Jones tries to stop him but is ultimately powerless - quite the shift from where each of them was during Dead Man's Chest!
6. The Posters
I currently have two Pirates posters taped to the walls of my room. I put the Dead Man's Chest poster up the day after I saw the movie on its opening night in 2006 and it has never once fallen down. I put the Curse of the Black Pearl poster up a couple months ago and it falls down about once a week, sometimes on top of me. MAKE OF THAT WHAT YOU WILL.
7. The Epic Cliffhanger at the End of Dead Man's Chest
I'll confess: the first time I saw this scene I hated it so much. But now I think it is brilliant. The way the scene builds, with Tia Dalma being awesome, and the boots coming down the stairs, and the music building, and the reveal, and Barbossa strolling into this movie as if they hadn't spent the entire first movie trying to kill him off ... oh man I love it. I have the biggest smile on my face whenever I get to the end of this movie, it's fantastic.
My favourite customer ever was the one who told me how he sometimes goes on YouTube just to watch this scene over and over again. Me too, man. Me too.
Unfortunately, watching it on YouTube robs you of the awesomeness that is the epic credits music! Another thing I love about the Pirates sequels is that they continue the tradition of cutting to black right on that first epic note of "He's a Pirate." SO MUCH BETTER than ending on some unrelated pop song like a lot of the movies I see do! The Pirates movies want you to leave the theatre ready for adventure! :D
~*~TO BE CONTINUED!~*~
(... that have nothing to do with special effects or Johnny Depp.)
1. The Music
I am listing this first because I read through the past couple days of Fandom Secrets today and was STOKED to see a secret about movie soundtracks turn into a Pirates soundtrack appreciation thread. Needless to say, I agree with everyone who heaps praise upon these scores, but I agree even more if you say you prefer the music from the sequels to the music from Curse of the Black Pearl. Not because the CotBP music is bad, because it definitely isn't, but because the sequel music manages to take a lot of the themes used in CotBP and add a lot more variety and depth to them. As a result, the Pirates soundtracks are a great mix of music, some of it really action-adventurey, some of it sad and haunting, and some of it just fun to listen to. I could probably ramble on for pages about each of the tracks on the soundtracks, but I shall try to restrain myself and only quickly comment on a few:
"Wheel of Fortune." This is from the crazy battle on Isla Cruces, but, as I have rambled about before, I love that one of the most action-packed parts of this track gets played over the shots of Will just standing there trying to figure out where the heart is. THINKING IS EXCITING! :D
"The Kraken." I love that the organ is used so heavily here. Davy Jones plays the organ so it definitely makes sense to feature it in the kraken's theme!
"Up is Down." I don't care how ridiculous this scene is, I love it! And the music for it makes me happy. :D
"At Wit's End." This begins and ends with music from when the Pearl is sailing to the ends of the earth (LOVE those scenes!), but I also like the bit that goes from 5:16 to 6:06, which accompanies a scene of the Dutchman blowing ships up - perhaps not the kind of music you'd expect to hear there!
Unfortunately, as usual my most favourite part of the score got left off the official soundtrack. Here's a fanmade version of the minute of music that some fans have fittingly titled "Part of the Ship, Part of the Crew":
I seriously love that bit with the choir. <3 It just fits the scene so well. And no worries, I'm sure I'll ramble about this scene in tomorrow's installment!
In conclusion I cannot wait for the On Stranger Tides soundtrack!! :D
2. Norrington
Was Norrington underused in At World's End? Yes, probably; I would've loved to see more of him. But before Dead Man's Chest there's no way I even would've said that. Norrington was the boring character who was just there to give Elizabeth some conflict and to be a foil to Will and Jack; if he hadn't been included in the sequels I wouldn't have missed him at all. But then Dead Man's Chest came out and he was awesome in it!! He had conflict, he had character development, he was actually breaking rules! I especially love his last scene in DMC: he's stolen the Letter of Marque and filled in his name, he's dropped Jones' heart onto Beckett's desk, he knows the ball's in his court but you can't read anything on his face besides fatigue. I love him in AWE too but I really wish we could've seen more of him; in the sequels Norrington developed into a really compelling character.
I am also forever secretly hoping for a hungover!Norrington audio commentary, where he would just say snarky remarks after everyone else's lines. An extended version of this (annoyingly quiet) scene, basically:
Man~~ I remember when the first promo pictures of Norrington in Dead Man's Chest were released, and I was so completely confused about what they had done with him. Sort of the same confusion I'm feeling now re: Barbossa! So hopefully that turns out just as great. :D
3. The foreshadowing and the callbacks
I've loved callbacks even before I had a word for them, so I love that the Pirates sequels are filled with way too many to even list here. But here are a few off the top of my head:
· "Keep a weather eye on the horizon" is said in all three movies. I kinda wish it was in a totally different context each time, but oh well: the first time it's Elizabeth telling Jack to watch for the Royal Navy ships, and the other two times it's Will telling Elizabeth he'll be back!
· There is a transitional shot of the Black Pearl in At World's End that uses the same angle and the same music as a transitional shot of the Interceptor in Curse of the Black Pearl.
· In At World's End, when the other characters first see Jack in the Locker, he's standing atop the mast of his ship just like he was in his very first scene in Curse of the Black Pearl.
· Barbossa calling Elizabeth "Mrs. Turner" at the end of At World's End echos his calling her "Miss Turner" back in Curse of the Black Pearl when he thought that was her name. And right after, Elizabeth tells Jack that it "never would've worked out" between them, which is exactly what Jack says to her at the end of CotBP. x)
Seriously, I love this stuff. I guess it's kind of unrealistic, but even so, I think referencing previous lines or scenes is a great way to tie a series together and make it feel more like a cohesive whole.
I also love the way that the trilogy manages to include some foreshadowing without being heavyhanded about it. It's kind of funny to me that both Governor Swann and Bootstrap come very close to flat-out telling Elizabeth that Will is going to be the captain of the Flying Dutchman, and yet I was still surprised when it happened!! I also love the way that certain moments in the first movie were retroactively turned into foreshadowing - as I recall, my friends disagree with me on this one, but I quite enjoy CotBP!Will threatening to "be lost to Davy Jones' Locker." I also think it's cool how they were able to shift the function of Jack's compass. I mean, anyone who has only watched CotBP will think that the compass points the way to the Isla de Muerta, but since none of the characters actually say that's what it does, the writers were able to make it so that it points to what you want most, and in that way keep using it for another couple of movies. I'm sure this annoys some people but I think it's pretty creative. :)
And I'm not quite sure what to label this, but I also love the way certain items move around throughout the trilogy, sometimes without all that much attention being drawn to them. The sword Will makes at the beginning of Curse of the Black Pearl moves to Norrington and then to Jones and in the last moments of At World's End is the sword that seals Will's fate. I love stuff like that.
4. Davy Jones
I'm not usually big on movie villains (although in musicals they usually get the best songs!), but oh man I LOVE Davy Jones. I think what I find most interesting about him is that, before we see him, all we really know is that he terrifies all of the characters who know anything about him. And while I think he lives up to that reputation pretty well (at least better than Barbossa lives up to the "a man so evil that Hell itself spat him back out" rumour), I love that he manages to do so while having no poker face whatsoever. I LOVE that his emotions show on his face all the time, like he's never able to hide them. I think it contributes to making him a really sympathetic character, even when he treats his crew wretchedly and even when he's fighting against our protagonists.
I also love his accent and the unusual movements he makes. And of course it doesn't hurt that his first scene is one of my favourites of the trilogy. I just love his exchange with Will (as the writers point out on their audio commentary, this is where Will realizes that Jack has screwed him over haha):
(I also very much enjoy Jack's "Oh" at the end of this clip hahaha.)
5. The Tea Party Scene
I was about to be very upset that I couldn't find this scene on YouTube, but then I discovered that a chopped-up version of it exists in this inexplicable compilation (skip to 7:07):
Four years later and I still love that this scene exists. Jones and Beckett arguing and Will prodding them on but the whole time he is awkwardly drinking that tea, oh man I love it! I guess I will also use this section to point out my love of the rivalry between Jones, who is ruled by his emotions, and Beckett, who is ruled by the rules of "good business." It's a very interesting dynamic between two very different characters who don't seem to realize how similar their goals are. I especially love the scene where Beckett brings his men aboard the Dutchman and Jones tries to stop him but is ultimately powerless - quite the shift from where each of them was during Dead Man's Chest!
6. The Posters
I currently have two Pirates posters taped to the walls of my room. I put the Dead Man's Chest poster up the day after I saw the movie on its opening night in 2006 and it has never once fallen down. I put the Curse of the Black Pearl poster up a couple months ago and it falls down about once a week, sometimes on top of me. MAKE OF THAT WHAT YOU WILL.
7. The Epic Cliffhanger at the End of Dead Man's Chest
I'll confess: the first time I saw this scene I hated it so much. But now I think it is brilliant. The way the scene builds, with Tia Dalma being awesome, and the boots coming down the stairs, and the music building, and the reveal, and Barbossa strolling into this movie as if they hadn't spent the entire first movie trying to kill him off ... oh man I love it. I have the biggest smile on my face whenever I get to the end of this movie, it's fantastic.
My favourite customer ever was the one who told me how he sometimes goes on YouTube just to watch this scene over and over again. Me too, man. Me too.
Unfortunately, watching it on YouTube robs you of the awesomeness that is the epic credits music! Another thing I love about the Pirates sequels is that they continue the tradition of cutting to black right on that first epic note of "He's a Pirate." SO MUCH BETTER than ending on some unrelated pop song like a lot of the movies I see do! The Pirates movies want you to leave the theatre ready for adventure! :D
~*~TO BE CONTINUED!~*~
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-07 01:12 pm (UTC)You're so lucky!!! You're going to Disneyland!!!Do you know something about premieres in Engalnd or in France?
(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-07 01:19 pm (UTC)P.S. Do you know the album "remixed & unreleased"? It's the 4th album with the suits of the three movies released in the cofanet with all the soundtracks. If you are interesetd, I've downloaded it! ;D
(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-08 11:15 am (UTC)And yes, I actually just learned about the fourth album last night! Is it good? I listened to one of the tracks on YouTube and it wasn't all new music but it was pretty good anyway. I might actually buy it legally because I have an Amazon gift certificate that's been sitting around forever. :P
(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-08 12:59 pm (UTC)I'd like to but this CD too, but I've bought the three movie soundtracks individually and, moreover, I can't find that cofanet. But if you have the chance, buy it! It's totally wonderful! :D
(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-08 11:12 am (UTC)I don't know anything about overseas premieres, unfortunately. And it doesn't look like I'll be going to the premiere at Disneyland after all (that's not till May 7th), but they have an area set up right now where they're showing a clip from On Stranger Tides and I'm definitely going to check that out! :D
(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-07 01:34 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-08 11:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-09 01:56 am (UTC)And I don't watch POTC becuase of Johnny Depp either becuase half the time his character acts like a drunk which I don't think is something to drool over. = /
(no subject)
Date: 2011-04-09 07:53 am (UTC)I think Jack Sparrow is an awesome character and he's definitely a part of why I like the movies so much, but yeah, I've never found him attractive either. Especially since the part in the second movie where Elizabeth says he lacks hygiene and he doesn't even argue, haha! Amusing (in the context of a movie) but not hot. :P