PIRATES SEQUEL: THE NOVELTY FADES, BUT THE APPEAL REMAINS
POP STEW RATING: ***1/2
By JOHN YOUNGREN
The first “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie, released in 2003, was such a novelty, such a breath of fresh air, such alchemy of charm and story and fantasy and humor and Jerry Bruckheimer adventure that I missed it entirely.
No great fan of the Disneyland ride of yesteryear – I’d seen it live twice, but measured it as a relic of the ‘60s, when Disneyland was built – I didn’t pay much attention when the movie it inspired opened several years ago, despite its blockbuster status, swashbuckling storyline and, yes (cue the squeals here, from women of all ages) presence of Johnny Depp.
As it was, I avoided the film in movie theaters and for more than year after, until my sister, of all people – claiming to be a Johnny guy from “21 Jump Street” but always more of a Richard Grieco fan, truth be told – loaned me her DVD of “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” with the mild admonition to watch it because she thought I’d “really like it.”
And so, on one Sunday night a summer ago or so, I plopped the disc in and became enthralled – not only at the clever, in-the-know storyline and sight gags and beyond-fantasy sequences but yes, at Mr. Depp, whom I suddenly regarded as the great character actor of my generation. His nuanced reading of Captain Jack Sparrow – at once one of the great heroes and anti-heroes of recent cinema – was staggeringly fresh and delightful. I stayed up late that Sunday – and was dragging that Monday – after peeling through the DVD’s extras like a can’t-wait-t0-turn-the-page potboiler I had to get through before Monday Staff Meeting.
So it was, a year later, that I arrived at an advance screening of “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” the whole and not wholly satisfying sequel to the original “Pirates” movie and the second – as it turns out, they’ve filmed parts two and three together, such is the nature of Hollywood schedules and budgets – of a scheduled trilogy (with the final film to be released in 2007).
I had a boyhood friend who used to sneak in and not only see but literally handle his Christmas gifts well before Christmas morning, despite my fears (and my personal reluctance) about ruining such potential surprises. And that, just a little, was the feeling I had seeing the second “Pirates” movie – expectations cued, hopes high, articles read; hell, I even watched the E! Entertainment cable coverage of the second “Pirates” red carpet coverage, live from Disneyland, just two days before.
(Complete disclosure: My personal affection for the first movie is so outstanding that I went and purchased the DVD I once borrowed this past weekend after seeing the second outing. Go to Smith’s. It’s just $14.99.)
But, like having lunch with a college girlfriend who’s put on weight, the “Pirates” sequel did have a bit of that “been there, done that” feeling, supplemented by a bloated “what else should we try to do to top ourselves?” sentiment that strained at times, overwhelming its character axis – and Mr. Depp’s considerable charms – and much ado about what? storyline.
That’s not to say “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” didn’t make the grade, for the movie in and of itself is a fantastic, scenic swashbuckling gift – as swaggering and sure of itself as a sequel as Captain Jack is on deck – full of clever asides, big-budget visuals and action-packed set pieces sure to thrill the little Sparrows in all of us.
The story, burdened as it is by that “what else is there?” preoccupation, picks up more or less where the last one left off, and leads us on a stormy ride through a newly mounted “Pirates” mythology, decorated to no small degree by Depp and his co-stars, Orlando Bloom as Will Turner and Keira Knightley as Elizabeth something or other (once again playing star-crossed lovers vexed by the always irascible Captain Jack). For an action movie of this category – sure to be one of the summer blockbusters of 2006, the stuff of lunch boxes and comic books and promotional tie-ins – much of “Pirates’” ongoing flair lies with the charms of these three actors, naturally appealing, really sexy and doing their best to overcome the storytelling lulls with charm and exuberance.
The rest of the movie – something about Davy Jones’ heart and a bottle of dirt and Captain Jack’s mortality and a rebellious monkey and Will Turner’s dead-but-not-forgiven father – comes on like a hurricane, so desperate are the moviemakers (Gore Verbinski, who directed the first “Pirates,” is handling the same responsibilities on parts two and three) to keep us from dozing. The result is the action-packed blockbuster everyone was planning on; the downfall is that they get away from much of what made the first movie so engaging. I loved Johnny Depp’s witty byplay and subtle asides in “The Curse of the Black Pearl;” he’s somehow doing both more of that and less of it here. (If it weren’t for Depp’s considerable charisma, you could almost read the Disney memos: “Johnny, what would Jack do here to be crazy, savvy?”)
And the rebellious pirates in this sequel are not so much of the “argh!, matey” variety; they’re more like space demons, Cantina customers from a spooky “Star Wars” sailing the high seas.
The second “Pirates” also suffers, to some degree, but what I call “seconditis,” or the unique frustration of being the second movie in a line that’s suddenly become three. With the first one a hit, “Pirates” producers decided to do two more – see “Back to the Future,” “The Matrix” or the original “Star Wars” series for examples of how this doesn’t quite work – which means they’ve got to both keep their fans happy with nods to the original while also stuffing enough cliffhanging nonsense to make sure we come back, popcorn in hand, for the third part of this insta-trilogy. Somehow filming a couple of new movies simultaneously adds to this problem; it’s like getting a second date but knowing sex isn’t coming until the third: Going through the motions, walking through the part. See you next summer!
All that said, I’m going to just say now that you should go see the damn thing – not so much because it’s “critic-proof," but because this is a really good movie doing exactly what it should. Depp remains absolutely brilliant as Captain Jack, an anti-hero for the ages (and now justifiably recognized as part of the “Pirates” lore, with his character manifested at a newly rejiggered version of the Disneyland ride) and Bloom and Knightley (whose agent clearly had a meeting or two about his girl having more to do in the sequel than look good, which she does just fine) acquit themselves as if they’ve been playing these characters, and in these situations, for years. Your kids are going to want to see it. And, yes, you are too.
And, beyond three, we’d all be onboard for “Pirates” 4, 5, 6 – even 7. What the hell? It may not be as much magical on Christmas morning when you know what the gifts are going to be. But you still get the gifts, nevertheless.
Savvy?
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John Youngren promises to reinvigorate his “John Youngren Dot Com” blog (also known as “Pop Stew”) somewhat regularly again. Promise. To contact John, e-mail johnyoungren@mac.com
