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I liked the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, including Dead Man's Chest and At World's End. The Curse of the Black Pearl was truly spectacular, and far outshone its next two sequels, but they were still fun movies in their own right. Still, at their heart, these were contrived stories. The first had a bit more leeway, "Let's make a movie based on an amusement park ride," and since pirate stories are great fun to start with, and they hired competent people to do the writing, directing, and acting, it all worked very well. The second and third felt a bit more forced, as if they were struggling to find a way to capitalize on the success of the first movie, despite having killed what was essentially half of its soul (Captain Barbossa) and needing to find a way to retrieve him. They were still largely successful at capturing the spirit of the first movie, even if the plot was at times too complex and strained, and the movies worked.
PotC4: On Stranger Tides is a completely different beast. Gone is the baggage of Wil Turner and Elizabeth Swan. Their tale is told. We're left with, well, the actual pirates. So now we need a new plot. But Disney planned ahead. In April 2007, Disney bought the rights to Tim Powers' acclaimed novel On Stranger Tides, about a young man who falls in with pirates in a race to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. Disney saw the potential, and has merely adapted Jack Sparrow as the protagonist, replacing some characters with those from previous films, and keeping others from the book intact. So now we have a movie following a good story and pre-written plot, rather than attempting to write a screenplay for an existing setting or idea.
Not every movie made from a good (or even great) book ends up being a good movie. Some books don't adapt well to the big screen, so its entirey possible Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Hector Barbossa won't be nearly as engaging this time around. But somehow this feels better -- rather than a rushed attempt to cash in on a good idea, they've used an established quality story. The director is new, too. While Gore Verbinski certainly brought enthusiasm and charm to the first movies, Rob Marshall, while not being the most experienced of directors, has a total of 23 academy award nominations, with 9 of them resulting in oscars, for the only three feature films he's made. (Chicago, Memoires of a Geisha, and Nine.)
This movie has every reason to be great. If it fails, it's not for lack of opportunity.
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Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
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Last edited by Talya on Tue Apr 05, 2011 7:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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