PotC 4 - On Stranger Tides

[hereswith]

I'm a little surprised there have been so few posts about On Stranger Tides, but my reaction in short was: I enjoyed it, but it didn't give me the same sense of excitement that the first and to some extent the second movie did. A few more spoilery thoughts under the cut. Also, there are spoilers in the comments.

Comments

[hendercats]

Hmmm.... Can't decide whether to read or not as I haven't gotten to OST yet (fixing up house has consumed me). Perhaps this weekend...

Odd. Was quite spoiled for DMC and AWE, so why should I be hesitant now?

[hereswith]

Maybe this time you expect the worst somehow? I've been hesitant about the movie itself, because I don't trust the filmmakers at all at this point, but I pestered geekmama to tell me just about everything, to be prepared. I don't mention much of the plot in the post, but I talk about the characters and that's pretty spoilery. Feel free to ask if there's anything in particular you want to know, though!

[phoenix_9664]

Does anybody think that new scriptwriters are in order? I've seen P4 twice now and I'm left with a lingering feeling that some kind of edge is missing. Maybe Rob Marshall is partly at fault too. Unlike some of you, I was fine with P. Cruz's casting, thinking she'd be a dandy counterpart and produce a lot of sexual tension. But it wasn't there, even though there were moments in the script when it should have been. ("Was I the first? I've always wondered . . . ") I don't know; I'm feeling like there's too much plot, too little emphasis on relationship. Maybe that's not what such a film is ever going to give us, though.

[hereswith]

It would be interesting to see what new scriptwriters could do with the characters and the world, but I don't think there will ever be more emphasis on the relationships, not in this kind of movie. Philip and Syrena suffered from a lack of screen time, but Jack and Angelica had quite a few scenes together, after all, and I don't know why the tension they so obviously meant to be there didn't come across. Something, some edge, as you say, does seem to be missing, and I've noted too that there isn't exactly an overabundance of OST fics, either here on LJ or on Fanfiction.net, so it can't have sparked the imagination like the previous movies did.

[fibita]

I think this is one of those movies when you notice that all the good parts ended up in the editing floor.
I never fancied Elizabeth much cos i own a personal grudge with the actress, and I was looking fwd to seeing Penelope as a pirate. Unfortunately, I think her character was cut short.
Also, the plot was mmmm... I wasnt overall ahppy with the movie I gotta say. And the mermaids reminded me of vampires for some reason

Additionally, PoC sucks without our beloved Commodore. I want him back <3

[hereswith]

That icon is incredibly cute :-) I've seen some who loved OST, but most appear to be a bit "meh" about it, and the movie was long enough that they should have been able to fit everything in. A pity, really.

Additionally, PoC sucks without our beloved Commodore. Yes, I miss him terribly!

[redrascal1]

At last - someone who feels the same way about Angelica as I do! I really really wanted to like her, as I like Penelope, but I just couldn't warm to her character. I recently re watched CoTBP and I couldn't help but notice the immediate spark of chemistry between Keira and Johnny in their very first scene. I didn't see that spark between Penelope and Johnny. This was supposed to be the love of Jack's life - why? I also found her willingness to let her father use his crew as mermaid bait and her indifference to his treatment of Syrena after he'd gotten what he wanted from her repugnant. I was actually glad how things worked out between the two of them at the end - although I think Angelica would make a wonderful bad guy for the next movie

[hereswith]

I wonder if their real life friendship affected things? I haven't seen Blow, so I don't know if the chemistry between them worked in that movie.

I also found her willingness to let her father use his crew as mermaid bait and her indifference to his treatment of Syrena after he'd gotten what he wanted from her repugnant. I reacted to that, too. She was alternately callous and vulnerable in a way that I couldn't quite make fit. She wasn't ruthless enough to be a villain, but if she was meant to be a good person at heart, it doesn't make much sense that she would team up with Blackbeard, or be prepared to die to save him, considering how he was portrayed.

But it's great that you loved it :-) I wish I had, but as I said to djarum99, AWE really was a breaking point for me. They have to bring back the Pearl in the next movie, though, I can't imagine they won't, and perhaps we might hope for a return of the old crew!

[redrascal1]

My goddaughter told me she found the film to be more like a prequel - she's got a point, I've noticed that a lot of people are already talking about follow ups. I wonder what deleted scenes will be available on the DVD release - it's interesting to see what was cut out.

I agree with you about AWE - it was a visual treat, but oh what a terrible ending! I was actually disappointed when Will resurfaced!

By the way I've just read for the first time your story Driftwood - one of the best ghost stories I have ever read and I've read a few! Anyone here hasn't checked it out do so immediately - you won't be disappointed!

[hereswith]

Sorry about the late reply! In some sense it could well be a prequel, I agree, apart of course from the relationship between Jack and Barbossa (and poor Groves and Gillette). And I expect they will build on what happened in OST in future movies. It would be interesting to see the deleted scenes, if there are any, maybe they cut out some Syrena/Philip stuff too...

Thank you again for the very kind compliment :-)

[redrascal1]

you're welcome!