Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" is the third installment of the wildly successful Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. These movies have even been compared to Star Wars in regards to the story, characters and fan base.

I enjoyed this movie, but I must admit I didn't fully begin to enjoy it until well into the film. The first scenes with the introduction of Captain Sao Feng, and the meeting that follows and the hanging of accused pirates starts the film off very nicely by setting a tone for the current circumstances that will follow. Then I got lost in "Davy Jones's Locker" and the multiple character angles; the overall story got very convoluted and incoherent. I got reeled back in with the action mid-way and highly impressive special effects.

The story gets very over involved with a chaotic mix of open ended events and character dilemmas and rivalries. Some of the earlier scenes feature a glimpse into the "afterlife" and display Captain Jack Sparrow in a Barron world of ice and nothing more than a ship wrecked delusion of multiple Jacks taunting the real Jack in a very surreal and kind of creepy fantasy illusion that left me confused. There are also crabs that transform into rocks and back again... by the way I will be reviewing the new Transformers movie soon as well.

Don't get me wrong there is enough eye candy in this film to keep you entertained with elaborate sets from Asia to the beautiful tropical seas of the Caribbean. Also the ships and special effects are dazzling. The overall acting is good, as in all of the films, and most of the characters are convincing and captivating... well most of them.

I found Johnny Depp's character fell a little flat in this one. I didn't feel as if Captain Jack Sparrow was having as much fun in this film as he had in the previous two. I mean in the last film he was running from cannibals and balancing for his life on a large water wheel while roaming the dense jungle... that's pretty fun.

Then there was this somewhat weird aspect of Tia Dalma (Calypso) as the most powerful being in the world which came out of nowhere. I mean it was obvious she had witch-like tendencies and powers, and it was obvious there was a definite connection and love story between her and Davy Jones... but the fact that she was the Queen of the Sea just seemed a little too far-fetched. And even so, when she is finally "released" from her human form she simply turns into hundreds of crabs and falls into the sea to eventually cause a big storm and a large whirlpool.

The big battle at the end, which I had anticipated from the trailer earlier this year, turned out to be nothing big at all. There is no battle, only a fight between three ships in the mist of a giant whirlpool. These scenes where fantastic, I admit... but I was still a little disappointed. My favorite scene in the movie takes place during this battle when one of the British ships is blasted with cannon balls from both the Flying Dutchman and the Black Pearl in a very "Matrixesque" slow motion scene surrounding Lord Cutler Becket with splinters and broken wood. "Shiver me Timbers!"

So what I am trying to say is that unfortunately this story was a little too lackluster for my tastes, although it was fun to watch just for the action alone. And I enjoyed the characters such as Davy Jones and Captain Balbosa. Overall I would recommend seeing it in the theatre, but don't get too wrapped up in the very intertwined and convoluted story. Just enjoy the visuals.

Shrek the Third Review

Following along with my summer reviews, I am now on my second film of the summer 2007 season.

I must say that usually whenever you have one good movie, spin-offs and sequels tend to fall short of the original, but "Shrek the Third" is the exception.

I loved this film as much as I loved the first two. It was just great from start to finish, I wouldn't change a thing. As much as I try to consider the fact that this is in the genre of a "kids movie," I can't help but enjoy all of the adult jokes tucked away in all the nooks and crannies of this wonderful movie. The story doesn't fall flat, as is the case with most sequels, and the movie isn't filled with lackluster "filler" material and scenes that only serve to meet the required allocated length. In other words, it was wonderfully written and had as much content and substance as its predecessors.

The animation is flawless, as with the first two. The comedy and chemistry between Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas is truly well blended and is carries through the entire movie. The addition of Justin Timberlake in this film as the new King of Far Far Away is a nice touch. There are also new characters such as Merlin, which are very funny and great additions to the movie. Shrek the Third definitely entertained me from beginning to end, and I look forward for more movies in the future.

Spiderman 3 Review

With summer 2007, comes long awaited Blockbusters, which may not blow your mind as much as you would expect.

I will interject my humble opinion on some of this summers best, or so-called "best."

I am starting with "Spiderman 3," which was the first official summer Blockbuster for 2007. Let me begin by saying that this film is worth seeing at the theater for its visual thrills and action. I do not regret spending the $9 to go see it. I do regret, on the other hand, the decisions behind the story and plot of this movie.

I would first off like to state that I think this movie made one big critical mistake, the same mistake Joel Schumacher made in "Batman and Robin." The mistake is simple, and in this case, I believe was made because Sam Raimi wanted to please too many people all at the same time. The mistake is incorporating way too many elements in regards to villains, internal conflicts and overall dilemmas into one film. "Batman and Robin" had many, many flaws but also suffered greatly due to this type of mistake as well. Incorporating Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and Bain... and throwing in Batgirl, just makes a big mess of things.

In S3, there was so much material at the director's disposal, that could have easily made for a great movie, just like the first two films. The story, internal conflicts and drama of Venom alone, could have made one hell of a movie... unfortunately they throw in an over-emotional Sandman from out of nowhere and a very incomplete conclusion to the whole Harry Osborn (Goblin) storyline. The Osborn storyline has been a staple in these movies from the very start, and easily gets lost in this film.

If I had directed S3, I would have eliminated the need for the Sandman, and would have focused on Harry Osborn's transition to the "New Goblin," and also balanced a intertwined storyline with Venom. Osborn never even becomes the Hobgoblin or any Goblin for that matter. His father's story was so brilliantly demonstrated in S1, with the Green Goblin, yet in this film Harry never even adorns a new costume or anything that shows any transition into a Goblin besides his hoverboard and some left over pumpkin bombs. The Hobgoblin is a staple in the Spiderman comics, and is never born in this movie.

I would have established Harry's transition while also showing Peter's transition with the "mysterious black substance," which is never named, although all true Spiderman fans know it as "symbiote." I would also like to note that I would have shown Peter's transition without the over-done dramatics in the bar with MJ. I would have also not have killed off both Harry and Venom so quickly. If no more movies are planned for the future than do not ruin the story just for closure. Venom by far is one of Spiderman's greatest foe's and deserves much more respect than that pathetic display of weakness. Although, I do suspect that Venom, or at least the symbiote, could return in a future movie... if future movies are planned. Remember, there was a part of the symbiote with Parker's professor, as he was studying it.

Overall, it was some nice eye candy, but very disappointing when it comes to an end.