Captain Jack is back…. Ok, what if he enters whole 50 minutes after the movie begins.
Unfortunately, Pirates-3 is not about captain Jack Sparrow(some might say that this series never was) ‘yeah’ you got it right it’s about ‘Pirates’; it’s a true blue pirates story where the myth has been extended to unimaginable but logical dimensions.
Once upon a time there were real pirates(I guess they are more relevant today, especially when we talk about piracy with respect to software, music, books and n’ many other things which I don’t understand) who lived on high seas and worshipped/envied(I guess it was more of a love-hate relationship) a sea goddess and as per the myth recreated by Mr. Gore Verbinsky(the Director) they never died or probably they would die to live again or they were living dead(gosh… thatz so confusing but makes some sense some where).
This is a season of sequels and after a dud like SPIDEY – 3, hapless souls like me were praying that at least Captain Jack shouldn’t disappoint.
Actually he hasn’t disappointed me completely but the story of pirates has disappointed many people and some are even saying that ‘Pirates of Caribbean – At world’s end’ is actually ‘at wits ends’.
What I really admire about PIRATES- 3 is the new dimension(all those who already felt like taking psychiatric help after watching it are advised to stop reading beyond this point… it might aggravate the problem) it has provided to entire pirates story. The Director and story guy have worked really hard to take this story to the annals of great on screen myths(despite the fact that it all was recreated or that’s what I think)
And they have actually succeeded in doing so. I would go to the extent that they have tried(the word used is ‘tried’) to get ‘Pirates’ in the league of ‘LOTR’ when it comes to giving credibility to myth.
Simple Question: What do you do when your story doesn’t have the inherent strength to fall in the category of famous myths?
Ans: You create one.
This is what has happened in ‘Pirates – 3’ and it does justice to the extension of the concept of pirates beyond known/logical comprehension of this myth.
After this movie all the pieces would fall into places and all that has happened in earlier movies makes perfect sense.
THE STORYLINE:
Pirates are living in tough times; Royal Navy(East India Company) has initiated a major crackdown on pirates to control sea waters to facilitate their trade and greed.
Whole pirate world is controlled by 9 pirate lords who control seas all over; and East India Company wants to crush all of them.
Captain Barbossa(Geoffrey Rush) is back and he joins Elizabeth(Keira Knightley) & Will Turner(Orlando Bloom) in saving Jack Sparrow and retrieving ‘Black Pearl’ from the distant world where Davy Jones has sent them.
The opening scene of Captain Jack’s arrival on screen is damn’ hilarious and one gets that typical ‘Captain Jacko around’ feeling the moment he arrives and you thank your stars(finally he has arrived…).
A beautifully crafted scene about some sincere white crabs(why they help jack is not clear, probably they were too impressed by his antics or honestly couldn’t bear him any more in that part of the world) who push ‘Black Pearl’ across white sands and throw it in the sea.
Once Jack is back, he aligns with various parties(including royal navy… guess others are also doing the same); on the other hand navy guys have managed a conceited deal with Davy Jones and now it’s a battle to crush/control piracy.
Second half is brilliant with excellent special effects; meticulously crafted n’ shot battle scenes. Battle between pirates and royal navy is worth all the ‘boom-boom’ & ‘bang-bang’.
The gang on ‘Flying Dutchman’ is far more sedate than expected and Davy Jones shows a bit of his romantic/human side only to return to his cursed self.
Entire story is pretty engrossing considering that fact that in his bid to authenticate the myth, Director has spent quite some time in explaining the human form and significance of sea goddess ‘Calypso’(later the release of ‘calypso’ from her human form was kinda over done) .
Final battle between ‘Black Pearl’ & ‘Flying Dutchman’ has best of the special effects. Climax is really twisted(but logical, going by the myth) and leaves quite a scope for fourth installment(though a peep in other reviews has revealed that there is a scene after the credits, which completes this trilogy & I have missed it).
Its fun watching alliances being made and broken at the ‘drop of a hat’(or ‘drop of a head’ it was… coz’ couldn’t count how many heads were rolling around…) and all the characters are being shown pretty human or ‘selfish’ I would say.
Another interesting role is played by Chow Yun Fat as pirate lord of Far East who controls sea waters in & around Singapore. He and his menacing troops are worth a watch but not as smart and agile as Jack’s sailors.
Chow Yun Fat has all the style(he has the most stylish entry and also the most forgettable exit) but not as much substance.
Keira displays some excellent sword skills since her days from ‘King Arthur’ and plays the role of a pretty and rugged fighter amongst a bunch of hardened pirates, quite convincingly.
Orlando’s role is pretty predictable and he balances the fine act of playing a brave soldier and a vulnerable lover/son, who has his own planned course, amidst all the chaos.
Geoffrey Rush plays his character with lot of restraint and the devilish ways of ‘Captain Barbossa’ aren’t as prominent as they were in ‘Curse of the Black Pearl’.
I won’t say that Captain Jack is the most promising character in this giant roller coaster ride but Johnny Depp maintains that suave(going by pirates’ standards) and adorable style and sleepwalks into this role(though he is just one of the many important characters in this sequel).
You will yearn for more of Jack Sparrow but I guess director had his own plans and he was too obsessed with ‘pirates’ story on whole rather than giving due importance to Captain Jack .
As expected, film has its own share of one liners & funny moments; especially the scene where pirate lords meet is pretty hilarious(those who weren’t sleeping/at their wits ends by then would’ve definitely enjoyed it).
Over all a well made film but there were many stories cutting across each other, so at times it becomes difficult to maintain ones sanity amidst all the chaos, but if you lose interest ‘in between’ then you would be aligning with the side which found this sequel pretty long, unconvincing and absurd.
For others… its same ole fun’… and please don’ miss jack Sparrow… jus’ go ahead n’ try to enjoy this flick.
Verdict: Strictly OK.
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