pirates of the caribbean: at world's end

[bedlamsbard]

Short and non-spoilery version: Will Turner, Supernatural Hunter is so totally on.



Let me get this out of the way: I really loved it. Really, really, and I've had significant problems with both Curse of the Black Pearl and Dead Man's Chest. I was worried because of the dichotomy that was overly present in DMC (the movie watches like it was written by two completely different people; light and dark are two different stories and two different tones), but there was none of the absurdity I was worried about. AWE has a great deal of the humor that was present in CotBP, but it doesn't over play it; it's used nicely and worked into the background nicely, rather than being the focus of the movie, as was half the problem with DMC.

I loved the soundtrack bunches. The first thing I did when I left the theater was buy a copy of the sountrack. I totally recommend it.

Something else I was worried about was how they'd play the Will/Elizabeth story, because they had to. They did it very nicely, for a Disney movie. It wasn't all better despite the time lapse between DMC and AWE; it took a fairly large portion of the movie to get all better, and even then I'm pretty sure it's not. They played the little things almost perfectly: Elizabeth's panic when the Singapore pirate threatens to mutilate Will, Will's automatic reach for Elizabeth when she sees her father and how quickly he stops himself. How Will is the one who stops Elizabeth from jumping. I am of the opinion that Barbossa's quickly performed marriage was because Will knew he was going to fulfill his destiny; I'm also of the opinion that one day every ten years isn't going to be enough for Elizabeth. Backing up a phrase, the emphasis is on "quickly" -- I think they went there maybe a little too fast, especially since that's the first time Will and Elizabeth kiss in the entire movie.

Jack's hell. *shudders* Loved it. Loved it, loved it, loved it. I loved the fade to black and the Pirates of the Caribbean ride theme -- oh my God, they actually went there -- I loved how Jack's hell is to be captain of a ship of Jacks, aboard the Black Pearl with no water in sight. I loved the rock crabs, and again -- I'm firmly of the opinion that Jack damn well went mad down there, especially since he was hallucinating multiple Jacks all movie. The Locker itself was fantastic, right down to the souls of the dead and the reversal: up is down, down is up.

The opening scene was fucking creepy, that's all I have to say.

I am madly in love with Elizabeth pulling out weapon after weapon after weapon, then finally pulling the big damn gun out of her pants -- then having to take her pants off. And Will being pulled out of the tub, gah. Also, I like Barbossa better than Sparrow.

There's so much betrayal and double-crossing in this movie that it's hard to know who's really on which side: Barbossa, Jack, Will, Elizabeth, Norrington, Sao Feng, Beckett, Davy Jones, Tia Dalma. I don't particularly like the way they chose to play this, but it was very interesting. I like that Elizabeth admitted Will couldn't trust her; I like how Will turned that back on her later. I'm rather fond of Bootstrap Bill going completely insane.

May I add how much I loved the symmetry here? Series are always excellent when they end with symmetry. I love Norrington getting his commodore's sword back; I love Will dying by the sword he made. I am vaguely amused by Murtogg and Mullroy rephrasing their argument from the first movie while Jack waltzes off with the dead man's chest.

I loved Will dying. Will is my favorite character in the series, let me get that straight, but I love that he died -- I love that they Davy Jones killed him, and that he died by his own sword. I love that he killed Davy Jones right back (although not with his father's knife, alas), even though I still think Jack is a manipulative bastard. I also have to add that he was looking very, very good in this movie, especially as the captain of the Flying Dutchman. Bandanna, red shirt, pirate boots, black curls -- fresh red scar on his chest where his own father cut his heart out. (limmenel, I think Will's Challenger is going to have to be red. Dark red. Wine red. Like the wine-dark sea!) He was looking good in the beginning when he was all trussed up. He was looking good when he was reading the map, when he was kindly telling Barbossa and Jack to both leave the ship (I have to admit I was just waiting for him to sail off, not rendezvous with Sao Feng). He looked pretty good dying, too. I don't quite understand why he needed the Black Pearl specifically to chase the Flying Dutchman, except for it being the fastest ship in the seven seas, which, you know, was probably it. He was darling while drinking tea with Beckett and telling Jones off and you know what? I think he and Barbossa may be the smartest ones in the entire movie. He knew how manipulate Calypso, he knew how to manipulate Beckett and Jones -- his weak points are Elizabeth and his father.

Jack: "Think like Will, think like Will." A nice counterpoint to Will's "think like Jack. What would Jack do?"

Tia Dalma being a chained goddess -- *shudders* Wow. That was -- pretty amazing. I like it, I think. Truly, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and she was taking Davy Jones down one way or another. I am very fond of Tia Dalma; I now extend that fondness to Calypso.

Oh, Norrington. Who probably would have made a damn good captain for the Flying Dutchman if Bootstrap Bill hadn't killed him. Norrington is my other favorite character and I can well say he died with honor. Stabbing Davy Jones with Will's sword, gah, and helping Elizabeth escape -- kissing Elizabeth goodbye and shooting the line binding Elizabeth's ship to the Dutchman -- more love. He died a hero and an honorable man.

I really have entirely no opinion on the pirate lords, since they were a means to an end -- this movie should have been at least two more, to give everything the weight it deserves. Hey, we met Jack's parents, at least!

The dead kraken -- *bows head*

Will and Elizabeth will never be happy. Will's been bound to captain the Flying Dutchman for all eternity, ten years at sea for one day on land; the only thing that can break that vow is death -- his death. And Elizabeth has his heart. Do you have any idea how happy I am that there is no happily ever after? I am extremely happy that there is no happily ever after. Elizabeth Swann will not wait -- and she's Captain Elizabeth Swann now.

And the movie ends the way it began: with one more adventure, one more mutiny, one more Jack in a small boat while Barbossa sails off with the Pearl, but the adventure will never end. There's continuity to this story, which I love; it doesn't all end at the end. It goes on forever, with Jack chasing immortality. (Although I have to add: I thought his one true love was the Black Pearl?)

Also, Elizabeth never once where's so much as a skirt in this movie. Just about the only feminine thing she wears is when she's being dressed up by Sao Feng. What's that theory about her and her clothes?

I really loved it, to shorten this down. Excuse me, I have to go write massive amounts of Will Turner, Supernatural Hunter not tied forever to the sea thank you very much fic now.

Comments

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

The only reason SPN hasn't moved into Canada is because neither Sam nor Dean could get through the border, especially post-9/11 :D. Will could do it, though.

New Orleans is a lot of fresh water, though, I believe... deltas and the Mississippi and the like.

Does Will actually talk to the monkey? Like, conversations? And, more importantly, does Jack ANSWER :D.

Poor Liz. Meh, I'm over her. She's a bit too... obnoxious.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Plus, it's like, prototypically American. Will probably has bounced up into Canada.

Okay, fine, Florida. Like, near Orlando.

Dude. Yes. He talks to the monkey a lot. The monkey doesn't talk back, but he does everything else. Will says, looking at a map of the midwest, "What do you think?" and the monkey chirps and points to Wyoming.

But it's a very tragic scene.

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

I've lived in Canada too long, clearly. But man, for a show that FILMS in Canada, they could totally do something up there.

Apparently, on the map, the Aqua de Vida was in Orlando! GOOD JOB, DISNEY, ON THE SELF-PROMO.

Jack the Monkey wins at the universe.

Oh, I don't doubt that it's tragic for Will. But I welcome the chance to see her die. Which sounds cruel, but I don't mean it to be. I just like the angst.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

But that's historical! Ponce de Leon actually landed in Florida, I believe, so it's not like they're pulling it out of thin air.

Will Turner, supernatural hunter, and his trusty sidekick, Jack the undead monkey. *smirks*

There's a lot of angst. (I am not the biggest Elizabeth fan either.)

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

I thought Ponce de Leon landed in St. Augustine, though! Which is so NOT Orlando...

*cackles*

Angst is lovely and perfect.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Well, it's Florida, that's close enough.

Again, I write nothing happy. EVER.

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

Hey, we had this talk about your happy writing! You do write it, just not often :D

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

Happy can be pretty boring. Angst is much more interesting so long as there's also action.

[limmenel.livejournal.com]

I agree. I like happy and fluff sometimes, but angst makes everything much richer and worth reading.

[bedlamsbard.livejournal.com]

And much more interesting. Which isn't to say that there always has to be angst, but there does have to be some kind of tension if you're going to have a good story.