Mainstream Surrealism....and Keith Richards!

Rating: 7/10 (11 June 2007)

I just went to a matinÃ©e, and I was blown away. This movie is the very definition of big-time Summer blockbuster fun, just as POTC 2 was. The pacing is excellent, the effects, sets, and costumes are spectacular, and the acting is good to very good. I just did not see the point of the opening scene, which is quite grim, compared to just about everything else in the movie.
It was great to see Keith Richards finally make his appearance. I am of an age where I know very well who he is, and I thought he did a good job in his role. Of course, Johnny Depp was brilliant once again. I have been a fan of his for 15+ years, and it is gratifying to me to see him receive all of these accolades. The rest of the cast was fine, and I am a big Stellan Skarsgard fan, so it is always fun to see him.
I felt that the early part of the film was quite daring in its imagery. The scenes of Capt. Jack in the featureless landscape were truly intriguing, and not something one sees in the usual popcorn movie. I loved the crabs, the 'Up is Down' scene, all of it. The transformation scenes later on were excellent, and the vortex was pretty darn cool.
I was so busy enjoying the visuals and the sheer exuberance of the set-pieces, I did not even care that, most of the time, I had no idea what was going on, plot-wise. These POTC movies are just huge pinatas of movie fun, and I could not ask for more from a Summer franchise flick.