Lightning Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

Review #103

Synopsis
The East India Trading Company, led by the relentless Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander), along with the immortal Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), are making it difficult to be a pirate on the seven seas. With help from Captain Sao Feng (Yun-Fat Chow), Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) leads an expedition to retrieve Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from Davy Jones’ Locker for the gathering of the pirate lords.

Review
One of the things I liked about the previous Pirates of the Caribbean films was how they dabbled in the supernatural. At World’s End continues that trend but takes it slightly too far. It just becomes too wrapped in it’s absurdity to stand on the same level as The Curse of the Black Pearl. This film is much more action driven than the previous films, which is part of the cause for the crazy story. As the third installment in the trilogy, it has the benefit of being able to top its predecessors in terms of action. The action is the most intense and dramatic of either The Black Pearl or Dead Man’s Chest. The final fight scene, between Davy Jones’ crew and the pirate lords is one of the largest sequences short of a Michael Bay movie. It is well choreographed and the camera does a good job of keeping the action in frame and is not too jarring or shaky. At World’s End embraces its supernatural elements maybe a little too much, but has some of the biggest and exciting set pieces of the series, so it at least has a decent entertainment value.

Rating
3/5

Also check out my reviews for The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest, and On Stranger Tides.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Gore Verbinski – Director
Ted Elliott – Writer
Terry Rossio – Writer
Hans Zimmer – Composer

Johnny Depp – Jack Sparrow
Geoffrey Rush – Captain Hector Barbossa
Orlando Bloom – Will Turner
Keira Knightly – Elizabeth Swann
Bill Nighy – Davy Jones
Kevin McNally – Gibbs
Tom Hollander – Cutler Becket
Jack Davenport – Norrington
Lee Arenberg – Pintel
Mackenzie Crook – Ragetti
Stellan Skarsgard – Bootstrap Bill
Naomie Harris – Tia Dalma
Yun-Fat Chow – Captain Sao Feng
Jonathan Pryce – Governor Weatherby Swann
David Bailie – Cotton
Martin Klebba – Marty
Reggie Lee – Tai Huang
Keith Richards – Captain Teague
Ghassan Massoud – Captain Ammand
Hakeem Kae-Kazim – Captain Jocard
Takayo Fischer – Mistress Ching
Capitaine Chevalle
Sergio Calderon – Captain Vallenueva

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest Review

Synopsis
Thirteen years ago, Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) made a deal with Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) to raise the Black Pearl from the depths of the sea. Now Jones is looking to collect his debt. Jack, along with Gibbs (Kevin McNally) and the rest of his crew, goes in search of the mysterious Dead Man’s Chest to escape Jones’ wrath. All the while being pursued by Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) and the East India Trading Company.

Review
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a difficult film to follow up. Dead Man’s Chest does a decent job but it doesn’t quite reach the height its predecessor does. That’s not to say it’s not good, it just wasn’t as entertaining. I’ve already raved about the core cast members returning from the last film so I won’t talk about them again, but they are marvelous here as well. The most exciting addition to the Pirates universe is the caretaker of dead sailors, Davy Jones.  Bill Nighy did an excellent job with the character’s body language, giving him a creepy walk and jerky body movements.

One of my favorite aspects about The Curse of the Black Pearl was how it drew inspiration from sailor myth as the backdrop for the story. Dead Man’s Chest incorporated more lore into the story, such as Davy Jones’ Locker, Davy Jones himself, and the monstrous sea beast, the Kraken. I don’t know why I like this so much but I think it is great that old maritime legends are such a huge part of these films.

Speaking of Davy Jones, the special effects on him and his crew look phenomenal. The character design of them, how they have become bits and pieces of different sea creatures is unique and very realistic looking. Pirates in films tend to have a very generic look, and so can undead beings, but no two members of Davy Jones’ crew look alike whatsoever. Having all kinds of sea creatures assimilate into the various crew members also offer several comedic opportunities, such as one who loses his head, which happens to be a hermit crab, so he has to coach his body back to him.

Hans Zimmer takes over composing duties from Klaus Badelt and, no surprise, it is amazing. Much of the organ stuff (very technical, I know) is so much fun to listen to and perfectly captures the essence of Davy Jones. He does integrate Badelt’s iconic He’s A Pirate (the main theme from the first Pirates film) but mostly goes in his own direction, creating a fantastic blend of the two styles.

My favorite fight scene was a three way duel between Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and Edward Norrington. It occurs over a variety of terrains, including the beach, forest, inside an abandoned building, and a water wheel. Dead Man’s Chest was chock full of action pieces like this, making sure it never get too dull.

Dead Man’s Chest does well to expand on the Pirates of the Caribbean universe, bringing in such legends as Davy Jones’ Locker and the Kraken. It’s not quite as entertaining as The Curse of the Black Pearl but it does what every good sequel should do and ups the stakes for the characters, and adding some memorable characters along the way.

Rating
3.5/5

Also check out my reviews for The Curse of the Black Pearl, At World’s End, and On Stranger Tides.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Gore Verbinski – Director
Ted Elliot – Writer
Terry Rossio – Writer
Hans Zimmer – Composer

Johnny Depp – Jack Sparrow
Orlando Bloom – Will Turner
Keira Knightly – Elizabeth Swann
Kevin McNally – Joshamee Gibbs
Jack Davenport – Edward Norrington
Bill Nighy – Davy Jones
Jonathan Pryce – Governor Weatherby Swann
Tom Hollander – Cutler Beckett
Lee Arenberg – Pintel
Mackenzie Crook – Ragetti
Stellen Skarsgard – Bootstrap Bill
David Bailie – Cotton
Naomie Harris – Tia Dalma
Martin Klebba – Marty
David Schofield – Mercer
Alex Norton – Captain Bellamy

Valkyrie Review

This review was originally posted for MovieRob‘s war-themed genre grandeur.

Synopsis
Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) is recruited by a secret organization trying to overthrow Hitler’s Germany and end World War II.

Review
Valkyrie‘s trailer makes the film seem like it is more of a thriller than it really is. The film starts with an action scene on a German military base in Africa that gets ambushed. It is during this attack that Stauffenberg sustains his injuries. Before hand, we get a glimpse into his character and the angst he feels towards Hitler’s Germany. After this initial action sequence the movie slows down. A lot. Although the next hour and a half may move slowly, this time is used to great effect, building the major characters.

When the coup finally begins, it is the most exciting part of the movie. That’s when the movie becomes a thriller. Since this is based on a true story during World War II, the final outcome of the events is known, but the film still manages to keep me on the edge of my seat, wondering if Stauffenberg and his crew can somehow pull it off. When the movie is in the midst of the excitement, it just fizzles and all of a sudden the action is over. For as dramatic as the actual coup is, the action abruptly ends. It’s pretty jarring.

Part of why Valkyrie is ends up being fun despite its pace is because of the cast. I recognized many faces from the Pirates of the Caribbean series (Bill Nighy, Kevin McNally, Tom Hollander, and David Schofield) and most of the cast from other films. There were only a handful of the main cast I had not seen before. The entire cast does well with their parts, but I think the stand out is Carice van Houten as Nina von Stauffenberg. Although she doesn’t have much screen time, she shows a great range of emotion to her character in what little time she is on screen.

One of my complaints with this movie is that most of the cast speaks in their normal accents rather than German accents. With several different accents prominent in the film, primarily British and American, it can be difficult to get into the German setting. In movies like K-19: The Widowmaker, the actors use accents of the country their characters’ are from (in K-19‘s case, Russian). I know it’s small but I think it adds that extra special touch to a film.

Valkyrie may not be the thriller it’s advertised to be, but it still manages to shine because of the great cast, particularly van Houten. Even though I knew the final outcome, I found myself hoping that maybe, just maybe, they could still pull it off.

Rating
4/5

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Bryan Singer – Director
Christopher McQuarrie – Writer
Nathan Alexander – Writer
John Ottman – Composer

Tom Cruise – Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg
Kenneth Branagh – Major-General Henning von Tresckow
Bill Nighy – General Friedrich Olbricht
Tom Wilkinson – General Friedrich Fromm
Carice van Houten – Nina von Stauffenberg
Thomas Kretschmann – Major Otto Ernst Remer
Terence Stamp – Ludwig Beck
Eddie Izzard – General Erich Fellgiebel
Kevin McNally – Dr. Carl Goerdeler
Christian Berkel – Colonel Mertz von Quirnheim
David Bamber – Adolf Hitler
Tom Hollander – Colonel Heinz Brandt
David Schofield – Erwin von Witzleben
Werner Daehn – Major Ernst John von Freyend
Mathias Schweighofer – Lieutenant Herber
Kenneth Cranham – Field Marshall Wilhelm Keitel

Lightning Review: I, Frankenstein

Synopsis
Frankenstein’s Monster (Aaron Eckhart) has survived in seclusion for over 200 years after he was brought to life by Victor Frankenstein (Aden Young). Now he finds himself caught in the middle of a centuries-old battle between the Gargoyles, led by Lenore (Miranda Otto), and the Demon Prince Naberius (Bill Nighty) and his Demon horde. With the help of the scientist Terra Wade (Yvonne Strahovski), he seeks to learn about his origins and why Naberius is after him.

Review
When I went into the theater to see I, Frankenstein, I didn’t have very high expectations. Which I suppose was a good thing so at least when I left the theater, I wasn’t too disappointed. Pretty much the only thing this movie has going for it are the action and visuals, which look amazing. The story didn’t do anything to pull you in or make you care about the characters. One of its biggest drawbacks is it takes itself too seriously and has trouble enjoying itself for being a simple fantasy-action film. I, Frankenstein feels a lot like Underworld, both in tone and story (although this isn’t really a surprise since the writer, Kevin Grevioux, was also one of the story writers for Underworld). I just feel like I have seen the “someone caught in the middle of an unknown, centuries long battle” schtick before and with better execution. At least this movie moves along quickly so you don’t have time to dwell on its shortcomings. Sometimes a movie’s cheesiness is its strength, but not it the case of I, Frankenstein; Its great special effects aren’t enough to make up for the lackluster story and character development.

Rating
1.5/5