[HEADING=1]I COMPLETELY DISAGREE!!!!![/HEADING]
Just throwing it out there, but I disagree with pretty much 80-90% of what Bob says here. I saw it last night, and loved it, purely because it was something that WASN'T cashing on in the previous trilogy. As a franchise it may be, but that was also the point of the original films if you recall, cashing in on a Goddamn THEME PARK RIDE! In this case, On Stranger Tides takes the best elements from the previous films and pays homage to them, while also working enough to stand out as a seperate stand-alone film where you don't need to have seen the others to understand any of it, yet also gives fitting references to the other films just for the purists. The whole 'priest/mermaid romance' thing did seem like it was happening completely separately, I'll admit, but it certainly wasn't "out of left field", and it actually made for a nice addition to the story. I don't think there were too many characters, though I'd have been happy if they'd simply switched that sailor on the Queen Anne's Revenge for Pintel and Ragetti instead.
Also, I always considered Jack to be the main character anyway, so I don't see any issue with that situation personally. The set pieces were actually really beautiful (and bear in mind I saw it in 2D), especially the sweeping shots of the island, and the cave where the Fountain is located. The shot where they climb down into the cave is framed so perfectly, and I say this as a filmmaker myself. On the whole, I enjoyed it greatly, and people who say they refuse to see it purely because Moviebob doesn't like it are missing out.
I feel I need to make my final point stand out here, by the way. If you have any interest at all in the series, watch this film. Regardless of what critics say. Because we give critics, who are paid to give THEIR opinions, no-one else's, too much control and credit over what we see, and we're the ones who lose out. So ignore Moviebob and see it anyway, and make up your own mind. If nothing else, if you ignore the fact that the first three films existed then it's amazing enough to see anyway, and if you watch it and disagree with me then fine and more power to you
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Just throwing it out there, but I disagree with pretty much 80-90% of what Bob says here. I saw it last night, and loved it, purely because it was something that WASN'T cashing on in the previous trilogy. As a franchise it may be, but that was also the point of the original films if you recall, cashing in on a Goddamn THEME PARK RIDE! In this case, On Stranger Tides takes the best elements from the previous films and pays homage to them, while also working enough to stand out as a seperate stand-alone film where you don't need to have seen the others to understand any of it, yet also gives fitting references to the other films just for the purists. The whole 'priest/mermaid romance' thing did seem like it was happening completely separately, I'll admit, but it certainly wasn't "out of left field", and it actually made for a nice addition to the story. I don't think there were too many characters, though I'd have been happy if they'd simply switched that sailor on the Queen Anne's Revenge for Pintel and Ragetti instead.
Also, I always considered Jack to be the main character anyway, so I don't see any issue with that situation personally. The set pieces were actually really beautiful (and bear in mind I saw it in 2D), especially the sweeping shots of the island, and the cave where the Fountain is located. The shot where they climb down into the cave is framed so perfectly, and I say this as a filmmaker myself. On the whole, I enjoyed it greatly, and people who say they refuse to see it purely because Moviebob doesn't like it are missing out.
I feel I need to make my final point stand out here, by the way. If you have any interest at all in the series, watch this film. Regardless of what critics say. Because we give critics, who are paid to give THEIR opinions, no-one else's, too much control and credit over what we see, and we're the ones who lose out. So ignore Moviebob and see it anyway, and make up your own mind. If nothing else, if you ignore the fact that the first three films existed then it's amazing enough to see anyway, and if you watch it and disagree with me then fine and more power to you