MickeyMousePal wrote:I know that Justin but who was the person who gave you something to see the movie for less money.

Does it really matter WHY Justin saw the movie, Pals?
Anyway, I caught an 11 pm showing last night and of course, had to wait 40 minutes for my bus from Downtown Disney to Chatham.
I don't know if I could possibly type out all my thoughts about this movie, but I will say it is definitely in the ranks of Empire Strikes Back, Godfather II, Toy Story 2, and Wrath of Khan as movies that not only equal their predecessor, but in some ways, surpasses it.
What I liked:
- Yay, another swashbuckling adventure with Jack, Will, Elizabeth, and Steve Taylor - er, James Norrington!
- There was a more lighthearted tone to this film, evenly balanced with the action and drama. I especially liked the escape from the natives and the three-man sword fight.
- Elizabeth had more to do than scream in fright.
What I didn't like:
- There was too much going on. It was like there were several mini-episodes going on that was encompassed into one large umbrella story. I mean, you've got Jack looking for the key, but Jack's also fleeing Davy Jones, then you've got Jack fleeing natives, Jack fighting Will and Norrington for the key and chest, and then Jack stuck on the Pearl as it is taken by the Kraken. And that's just one character! Too many characters with too many individual and intertwined stories. It's like trying to watch Love Actually: The Pirate Version. Sure, you've only got the three central figures (Jack, Will, Elizabeth). But Davy Jones, Bootstrap Bill, Norrington, Tia Dalma, Becket, etc. They all add their own stories to the major ones that it makes me wonder which story will actually be resolved by the time the credits roll.
- The forced and throwaway humor. Yes, it was great to see the dog again, and to have all those sly remarks about the rum (why is the rum always gone, hide the rum, etc.). But sometimes it seems they inserted throwaway lines as a nod to the first film, when it was ultimately unnecessary. Did we honestly need to have constant references to rum? "But why is the rum gone?" is perhaps the best line ever from COTBP, but DMC ran that joke into the ground. Though I did enjoy "I've got a jar of dirt!".
- Barbossa's return. I enjoyed it, and I've got a theory as to how he is back, but his entire return, plus the undead monkey, entirely negates the whole purpose of the first film. DMC relies so much on COTBP that as a standalone movie, you'd be asking so many questions, that a first-time viewer would have to go and see COTBP only to think, "Oh, so that's how such and such happened." Sequels generally either repeat the same type of story as the first, or tell a wholly new one with the same characters. DMC thankfully was able to tell a somewhat different story, but had to rely on things you know from COTBP in order for it to make sense. So as a sequel it is one of the best, but as a standalone, it could likely be confusing as hell.
All in all, I'd give this film a generous 8.5 out of 10. It's worth going to see in theatres and definitely worth repeat viewings.
Escapay