The fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, On Stranger Tides, comes out this Friday amidst mixed feelings. While the first film won me over entirely, my fandom was tested by the second and third installments, and I don't think I'm alone when I say my loyalty could get its final bludgeoning with this latest effort. However, in the spirit of both inquiry and optimism, let's take a look back.
Curse of the Black Pearl was, in short, life-changing. It wasn't just a rollicking good time, it was the best damn thing I had seen in my young life. It was the first movie that I wanted to see--nay, DEMANDED to see more than five times in theatres. I had no ambition left in the world except to watch Jack Sparrow so much that I would BECOME Jack Sparrow, thereby achieving great hair and perfect comedic timing.
Dead Man's Chest was enjoyable enough, but wasn't quite up to par with the the staggering accomplishment of the first movie. Sure, it had its moments--there was some excellent fight choreography, Jack Sparrow was his usual self, and I particularly liked seeing stuffy, ice-cream-headed Norrington scruff up and become a drunken, sardonic mercenary-type--but the saving grace of Dead Man's Chest was the fact that a third movie was coming out to wrap up the trilogy. Thus, we didn't complain. We just waited to see how well At World's End would prop up its predecessor.
Unfortunately, At World's End failed even to disappoint. Most everyone I talked to came out of it saying, 'It was okay,' before launching into a lengthy discourse on all the reasons it WASN'T okay. It wasn't awful, it just bogged down toward the end, went in all the wrong directions, and ultimately failed to round out what should have been one of the great trilogies of... well, forever.
As far as the last one is concerned... a fourth movie is even more unnecessary than a second movie, but since the powers that be have insisted on trilogy-busting, here are some pros and cons based on what we know so far:
Pro #1--No more wet blankets. While the put-upon romance between Will and Elizabeth was crucial to the plot--and as a target for Jack's delightful irreverence--their drama got very old, very quickly. However, At World's End saw the strange and rather unsatisfying resolution to their storyline, so with any luck, the newly-unencumbered piratical shenanigans will have fresh zazz in #4.
Pro #2--Mythical weirdos. Zombies and mermaids as they're meant to be--twisted, fun, and dangerous as hell. Sure, there are far too many mythological creatures being ruined in the movies these days, and zombies have blatantly infiltrated almost every genre regardless of whether they had any business doing so, but the little evidence we have thus far suggests Bruckheimer and co. might get it right.
Pro #3--Captain Jack Sparrow. Can we all be frank for a moment, and agree that no one would have cared about ANY of the pirates movies without the Cap'n? To be sure, there are plenty of other great characters, but Jack Sparrow is the series' greatest asset, and the fourth movie's apparent focus on him shows promise.
Con #1--Too Far, guys. Too far. There's a certain path of logic indicating that, if you made a movie people loved, then followed it with a movie people didn't like as much, then followed that one with a movie people liked even less, making yet another probably won't set things right.
Con #2--New Captain at the Helm. Gore Verbinski, director of the three previous films, has jumped ship (pardon the pun). True, fresh blood could be exactly what the series needs to get back on course (pardon the pun), but it's less likely that a new director can recapture the magic of the first film.
Con #3--Or should I say, 3D. The previews look decent on my home television, but not so much in 3D on the big screen. Also, if there's a single gimmick in the film that involves someone throwing something toward the audience, so help me, I will lose my mind and slaughter every man, woman, child, screaming baby, and nameless theatre-peon in the path of my blind fury.
In short, since Bruckheimer and co. are forcing a fourth movie upon us, we can only hope that they can do it right. We might see a resurgence of the series if they can breathe some new life into the story with this fourth film, but if the last two movies are any indication, it isn't likely. So, until I see it this weekend, I'm crossing my fingers... but I'm not holding my breath.
