Husband, Daughter#2 and I went to see the third and final (?) episode of Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" yesterday afternoon. The movie theater seated viewers of varying ages, but teenagers admittedly outnumbered the rest of us. The best part of sharing a movie with adolescents -particularly girls who sigh loudly whenever Orlando Bloom graces the screen- is their enthusiasm, the oohs, the aaahs and the excited applause at unexpected moments that adds to the magic of viewing a movie in public.
The film dragged on a bit more than it should have in my humble opinion and everything was predictable. I personally felt no swashbuckling tingles this time around. Husband and I both agreed we felt symptoms of computer effects overdose at some point. The one thing that excelled (again) was Depp's impressive performance as Captain Jack Sparrow. He has established a zany, lovable movie character that will live on in silver screen history. According to Depp, when he was first cast for the part he searched for characteristics he wanted to use for Sparrow. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones came to mind and in this film it all comes together. Richards also makes a surprise appearance. (NO SPOILERS HERE)
I read a bitter Greek critic somewhere that the last instalment of the Pirates "trilogy" was all about promoting the Disneyland theme ride. Whatever Disney's get-rich scheme is or was, Captain Jack Sparrow swooped us away from reality for a couple of hours. As did another well-known Disneyland theme ride, Indiana Jones. Chill out guys. Some movies are just for the fun of it. Oh, and if their leading men make you swoon... well, that helps too.