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iainjclarkI think I'm becoming a blockbuster-movie grouch.
We saw Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End tonight. Maybe I was in the wrong mood but it left me slightly bored: a self-indulgent hodge-podge with no real structure. It's hard to feel much engagement when you can't follow who is double-crossing whom, and on what ship, and why. The last third of the film does pick up a little and there are a few charming moments--including a couple that haven't already been done to death in the trailers--but they're not enough to stop the film from feeling leaden. For what it's worth there's an extra scene after the end credits (assuming that you can outlast the cinema staff in a tense battle of wills).
I also finally got around to watching Superman Returns on DVD last night. The opening credits leave the impression that the film will be a fetishistic recreation of the original Richard Donner film, stunningly beautiful, and interminably long. The opening credits do not lie. The plot is very straightforward but takes over two and half hours to langorously unfold, leaving the characters to carry the film. Unfortunately the direction and performances take their lead from the arch and slightly sappy tone of Superman: the Movie, leaving everything feeling unreal and reminding me why I don't particularly like the original Superman movies in the first place. (So why I bothered watching this one is anyone's guess). I still don't understand why I should care that Clark Kent is mooning over Lois Lane, and the very youthful Brandon Routh just isn't the Man of Steel. The real treat is to see Superman's powers rendered believably for the first time, particularly in the stunning plane rescue sequence. That nearly validated my decision to see the film. That, plus Kevin Spacey playing Gene Hackman playing Lex Luthor.
We saw Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End tonight. Maybe I was in the wrong mood but it left me slightly bored: a self-indulgent hodge-podge with no real structure. It's hard to feel much engagement when you can't follow who is double-crossing whom, and on what ship, and why. The last third of the film does pick up a little and there are a few charming moments--including a couple that haven't already been done to death in the trailers--but they're not enough to stop the film from feeling leaden. For what it's worth there's an extra scene after the end credits (assuming that you can outlast the cinema staff in a tense battle of wills).
I also finally got around to watching Superman Returns on DVD last night. The opening credits leave the impression that the film will be a fetishistic recreation of the original Richard Donner film, stunningly beautiful, and interminably long. The opening credits do not lie. The plot is very straightforward but takes over two and half hours to langorously unfold, leaving the characters to carry the film. Unfortunately the direction and performances take their lead from the arch and slightly sappy tone of Superman: the Movie, leaving everything feeling unreal and reminding me why I don't particularly like the original Superman movies in the first place. (So why I bothered watching this one is anyone's guess). I still don't understand why I should care that Clark Kent is mooning over Lois Lane, and the very youthful Brandon Routh just isn't the Man of Steel. The real treat is to see Superman's powers rendered believably for the first time, particularly in the stunning plane rescue sequence. That nearly validated my decision to see the film. That, plus Kevin Spacey playing Gene Hackman playing Lex Luthor.
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Date: 2007-05-30 08:12 pm (UTC)The first film was at the very least ambivalent about pirates - Barbossa was the villain, and Will and Elizabeth started out very anti-piracy, although admittedly they didn't stay that way.
I guess what I object to is placing the glorification of piracy front and center. I was fine so long as I could ignore it, but POTC 3 didn't give me that option.