death by redemption
[mood| 
Frustrated ]
[music| Your Hands Are Cold - Pride & Prejudice ]
Oh hooray! It's the endless parade of fandom rants. How deeply we love, how deeply we are bitter. Spoiler warnings for Spider-man 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
It took a single summer to kill off my two favorite characters in two sweeping, blockbuster fandoms. See, I should have tethered my cart to a character that had low odds of biting the dust. But no. I always do this to myself.
There have been plenty of excellent reviews here on LJ for At World’s End and Spider-man 3. I’ve gone around reading, hemming, hawing, and contemplating how everyone saw these movies a little differently. Both are the final act (supposedly) of a trilogy. Both did sensationally at the box office. Both have had their share of rather unfavorable reviews by press people, whom I typically ignore.
I think I could have liked them a whole lot more, if I hadn't been distracted by certain story/character related choices. I think there were moments of brilliance in both, but the feeling wasn’t carried through.
The most disappointing aspect of both movies, for me, was the choice to quickly redeem and then kill off Harry Osborn in Spider-man and James Norrington in Pirates. I went, spoiler-free, into both movies sort of expecting the worst but hoping my fears would be proven unfounded. What really made me upset, in my little fangirl way, was how I felt like the only person in both jam-packed theaters who was upset about these aforementioned demises.
The Harry Rant
The Spider-man movies are great, comic book fun with bright colors and that inevitable goofiness that spans the series. Being that I have just enough geek in me to know a lot about the Spidey comics, it was like sensory overload to discover they were packing characters like Gwen Stacy, Eddie Brock Jr., the Sandman, and the alien symbiote suit into just one film. It felt like Sam Raimi and Co. were determined to pull out every stop imaginable, just in case this was the 'final' film… which AHEM we all know it’s not.
While I felt the supporting roles were well cast, they were all underused and when they were used it was a little stifling, because this movie should have focused more exclusively on the three main characters: Peter, MJ, and Harry. It was the varying facets of their relationships that were the most interesting and believable, and was wrapped all too quickly. What I hated about Peter and Mary Jane was that their relationship in the movie didn’t evolve. They started together, they ended together. They are forever!!11!! so excuse me whilst I grimace.
They give Harry this classic ending in Spider-man 2 where everyone is like GASP! he’s found Daddy’s Goblintopia and we know what’s coming in the next movie! And yes, we got to see Harry go badass for a little while. And it was great! James Franco is great. And the fight between emo!Peter and Harry later on? Very entertaining. However, I found Peter a little unforgivable after that. Ok, yes, he was wearing the Evil Suit of Evil. But taunting Harry, slapping Mary Jane across the room… I don’t know. Kind of made you root for Harry/MJ, no matter how you tried to remind yourself that Harry threatened MJ too - as Captain Jack would say, "Only a little." - or that Harry was the force responsible for Peter indulging in the suit because MJ left him. Whatever. Who cares. The point? Harry is awesome and was, for me, the most interesting character by far in this movie. In the trilogy!! There should have been a lot more of him and a lot less peripheral garbage.
I think Harry went out a hero. There’s no question, there. But to have Bernard, our resident Alfred Pennyworth, let Harry know he loves him... it felt like more a plot device to make Harry help old Peter out and DIE rather than a complete evolution. I was so upset. Yes, I did cry. I take my favorites seriously. ;)
It’s just dumb because you can’t kill Spider-man and you can’t kill his One True Love. So who do you have to kill to make it a big dramatic finish? The very hot, very awesome Best Friend in a way that suggests the stupid "There was no other way to redeem him than SACRIFICE!" copout. All I know is that I am going to be slouching to Spider-man 4 if they get everyone back but James Franco because they up and KILLED his potential-packed character. Luckily, if they are smart and true to verse, they can bring people back. But that, I suppose, is a fool’s hope. Enter the fool.
Other Notes
- J. Jonah Jameson is awesome. At all times.
- Omelette love with MJ and Harry was a little corny, but I was a big fan. Or was I a big fan of James Franco shaking it to "The Twist"? We’ll never know. But yes, MJ/Harry is a ship I’m proud to sail on. Take that.
- The effects were good.
- Venom... we needed more. So much more.
The Norrington Rant
Warning: Includes lots of capitalization. Much. Anger.
WHY WAS NORRINGTON IN THE MOVIE FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF FIVE SECONDS?!?!!? How dare they!! What were they thinking?! They cemented his standing in the Pirates trilogy in Dead Man’s Chest. He's part of the OT4 (shamless plug)! So how come At World’s End virtually glossed over all Norrington’s character development and the oh no! ending of DMC? They picked up with all the other characters but him. Injustice! Outrage!
How about this: we don’t have Sao Feng in the movie AT ALL since that was totally pointless and trumped up for absolutely nothing and instead give Jack Davenport some much earned, much desired screen time? Or how about we shorten some of those scenes that dragged on for an eternity? I swear, I was so ticked off walking out of that movie and am still extremely bitter.
BOOTSTRAP KILLED NORRINGTON. That is the WORST decision of ALL TIME. How ridiculous! It wasn’t fighting against anyone worth it in some heart-wrenching to-the-death battle. He was stabbed by Barnacle Bill and that was that. And old Bill even survived the whole movie to be all ♥ with Will at the end. Unbelievable. Beckett gets this huge, slow-mo death scene and Norrington gets stabbed after, what, his third minute onscreen? Fabulous. Nice one, writers! Pat yourselves on the back!
Was it so horrible of me to find more chemistry in two seconds of Elizabeth and Norrington than in three movies feeding us Will/Elizabeth? If it is, so be it. At least, sigh, he got his kiss. My sister tried to console me by saying at least Norrington went out having saved the woman he loved and having "redeemed" himself. Bah! Here we go with the redemption bit again: does redemption equal death? I think it’s ridiculous.
I suppose it’s doubly hard because no one, it seems, is really dead in Pirates except for... Norrington. Meaning Barbossa and Jack have loopholes. Will got his reprieve. Governor Swann didn’t, but that’s another unnecessary, pointless death all together (though it did provide Elizabeth with a believable, decent bit, IMO). But ten years later, there’s faithful Elizabeth waiting for wondrous Will with wee Willy Junior... and The End. Um, I want my Norrington back!
Other minor complaints, Pirate-wise:
- Speaking of relationships, everything Jack/Elizabeth from DMC was left horribly unresolved and neglected. Disappointing.
- Calyspo: The Attack Of the Fifty-Foot Woman. Awful. I was expecting something actually awesome to happen… not crap-awesome.
- Shoulder Angel Jack and Shoulder Devil Jack. Um, no. No.
- Was Boostrap the best plot they could give Will? Really?
The Good… yes, there is good. Suprise!
- Barbossa saved this movie. He really did. Thank you, Geoffrey Rush.
- Johnny Depp gets second place for saving the movie – mostly thanks to his scenes with Barbossa. The Davy Jones locker sequence was amusing, but perhaps not what I had thought we would see. However, after finally getting out of the Locker and minus the mini-Jack’s, he was fantastic. Loved the running to tip the ship over, loved his swordfight with Davy Jones, and so forth.
- Will + Cocky Tea Party = High Times.
- Loved all the secret deals, backstabbing, and the final High Noon three by three meet up on the patch of beach.
- For not being a Willabeth fan, the wedding? Thumbs up. Did I mention that I heart Barbossa? If they had killed him (again) there would be a third act to this rant. Aren't we all so grateful they didn't? ;)
- The minors: Pintel, Ragetti, Gibbs, GROVES, Murtogg, Mulroy... awesome.
- Effects, overall, get high marks. Astounding.
Icons. They are coming.
Frustrated ] [music| Your Hands Are Cold - Pride & Prejudice ]
Oh hooray! It's the endless parade of fandom rants. How deeply we love, how deeply we are bitter. Spoiler warnings for Spider-man 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.
It took a single summer to kill off my two favorite characters in two sweeping, blockbuster fandoms. See, I should have tethered my cart to a character that had low odds of biting the dust. But no. I always do this to myself.
There have been plenty of excellent reviews here on LJ for At World’s End and Spider-man 3. I’ve gone around reading, hemming, hawing, and contemplating how everyone saw these movies a little differently. Both are the final act (supposedly) of a trilogy. Both did sensationally at the box office. Both have had their share of rather unfavorable reviews by press people, whom I typically ignore.
I think I could have liked them a whole lot more, if I hadn't been distracted by certain story/character related choices. I think there were moments of brilliance in both, but the feeling wasn’t carried through.
The most disappointing aspect of both movies, for me, was the choice to quickly redeem and then kill off Harry Osborn in Spider-man and James Norrington in Pirates. I went, spoiler-free, into both movies sort of expecting the worst but hoping my fears would be proven unfounded. What really made me upset, in my little fangirl way, was how I felt like the only person in both jam-packed theaters who was upset about these aforementioned demises.
The Harry Rant
The Spider-man movies are great, comic book fun with bright colors and that inevitable goofiness that spans the series. Being that I have just enough geek in me to know a lot about the Spidey comics, it was like sensory overload to discover they were packing characters like Gwen Stacy, Eddie Brock Jr., the Sandman, and the alien symbiote suit into just one film. It felt like Sam Raimi and Co. were determined to pull out every stop imaginable, just in case this was the 'final' film… which AHEM we all know it’s not.
While I felt the supporting roles were well cast, they were all underused and when they were used it was a little stifling, because this movie should have focused more exclusively on the three main characters: Peter, MJ, and Harry. It was the varying facets of their relationships that were the most interesting and believable, and was wrapped all too quickly. What I hated about Peter and Mary Jane was that their relationship in the movie didn’t evolve. They started together, they ended together. They are forever!!11!! so excuse me whilst I grimace.
They give Harry this classic ending in Spider-man 2 where everyone is like GASP! he’s found Daddy’s Goblintopia and we know what’s coming in the next movie! And yes, we got to see Harry go badass for a little while. And it was great! James Franco is great. And the fight between emo!Peter and Harry later on? Very entertaining. However, I found Peter a little unforgivable after that. Ok, yes, he was wearing the Evil Suit of Evil. But taunting Harry, slapping Mary Jane across the room… I don’t know. Kind of made you root for Harry/MJ, no matter how you tried to remind yourself that Harry threatened MJ too - as Captain Jack would say, "Only a little." - or that Harry was the force responsible for Peter indulging in the suit because MJ left him. Whatever. Who cares. The point? Harry is awesome and was, for me, the most interesting character by far in this movie. In the trilogy!! There should have been a lot more of him and a lot less peripheral garbage.
I think Harry went out a hero. There’s no question, there. But to have Bernard, our resident Alfred Pennyworth, let Harry know he loves him... it felt like more a plot device to make Harry help old Peter out and DIE rather than a complete evolution. I was so upset. Yes, I did cry. I take my favorites seriously. ;)
It’s just dumb because you can’t kill Spider-man and you can’t kill his One True Love. So who do you have to kill to make it a big dramatic finish? The very hot, very awesome Best Friend in a way that suggests the stupid "There was no other way to redeem him than SACRIFICE!" copout. All I know is that I am going to be slouching to Spider-man 4 if they get everyone back but James Franco because they up and KILLED his potential-packed character. Luckily, if they are smart and true to verse, they can bring people back. But that, I suppose, is a fool’s hope. Enter the fool.
Other Notes
- J. Jonah Jameson is awesome. At all times.
- Omelette love with MJ and Harry was a little corny, but I was a big fan. Or was I a big fan of James Franco shaking it to "The Twist"? We’ll never know. But yes, MJ/Harry is a ship I’m proud to sail on. Take that.
- The effects were good.
- Venom... we needed more. So much more.
The Norrington Rant
Warning: Includes lots of capitalization. Much. Anger.
WHY WAS NORRINGTON IN THE MOVIE FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF FIVE SECONDS?!?!!? How dare they!! What were they thinking?! They cemented his standing in the Pirates trilogy in Dead Man’s Chest. He's part of the OT4 (shamless plug)! So how come At World’s End virtually glossed over all Norrington’s character development and the oh no! ending of DMC? They picked up with all the other characters but him. Injustice! Outrage!
How about this: we don’t have Sao Feng in the movie AT ALL since that was totally pointless and trumped up for absolutely nothing and instead give Jack Davenport some much earned, much desired screen time? Or how about we shorten some of those scenes that dragged on for an eternity? I swear, I was so ticked off walking out of that movie and am still extremely bitter.
BOOTSTRAP KILLED NORRINGTON. That is the WORST decision of ALL TIME. How ridiculous! It wasn’t fighting against anyone worth it in some heart-wrenching to-the-death battle. He was stabbed by Barnacle Bill and that was that. And old Bill even survived the whole movie to be all ♥ with Will at the end. Unbelievable. Beckett gets this huge, slow-mo death scene and Norrington gets stabbed after, what, his third minute onscreen? Fabulous. Nice one, writers! Pat yourselves on the back!
Was it so horrible of me to find more chemistry in two seconds of Elizabeth and Norrington than in three movies feeding us Will/Elizabeth? If it is, so be it. At least, sigh, he got his kiss. My sister tried to console me by saying at least Norrington went out having saved the woman he loved and having "redeemed" himself. Bah! Here we go with the redemption bit again: does redemption equal death? I think it’s ridiculous.
I suppose it’s doubly hard because no one, it seems, is really dead in Pirates except for... Norrington. Meaning Barbossa and Jack have loopholes. Will got his reprieve. Governor Swann didn’t, but that’s another unnecessary, pointless death all together (though it did provide Elizabeth with a believable, decent bit, IMO). But ten years later, there’s faithful Elizabeth waiting for wondrous Will with wee Willy Junior... and The End. Um, I want my Norrington back!
Other minor complaints, Pirate-wise:
- Speaking of relationships, everything Jack/Elizabeth from DMC was left horribly unresolved and neglected. Disappointing.
- Calyspo: The Attack Of the Fifty-Foot Woman. Awful. I was expecting something actually awesome to happen… not crap-awesome.
- Shoulder Angel Jack and Shoulder Devil Jack. Um, no. No.
- Was Boostrap the best plot they could give Will? Really?
The Good… yes, there is good. Suprise!
- Barbossa saved this movie. He really did. Thank you, Geoffrey Rush.
- Johnny Depp gets second place for saving the movie – mostly thanks to his scenes with Barbossa. The Davy Jones locker sequence was amusing, but perhaps not what I had thought we would see. However, after finally getting out of the Locker and minus the mini-Jack’s, he was fantastic. Loved the running to tip the ship over, loved his swordfight with Davy Jones, and so forth.
- Will + Cocky Tea Party = High Times.
- Loved all the secret deals, backstabbing, and the final High Noon three by three meet up on the patch of beach.
- For not being a Willabeth fan, the wedding? Thumbs up. Did I mention that I heart Barbossa? If they had killed him (again) there would be a third act to this rant. Aren't we all so grateful they didn't? ;)
- The minors: Pintel, Ragetti, Gibbs, GROVES, Murtogg, Mulroy... awesome.
- Effects, overall, get high marks. Astounding.
Icons. They are coming.