Terrific Trailers: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Filed under: Action, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Disney, Johnny Depp, Remakes and Sequels, Summer Movies, Trailers and Clips, Scenes We Love
The Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy is still in that so-popular-its-annoying stage, which is why I wince at bringing it up in our summer appreciation. Believe me, nobody can be more worn out on all things piratical than this humble writer. After all, my sister dates a professional Jack Sparrow, and this is the time of year when we dust off our tricorns, polish off our swords, and contemplate another summer of going "Avast, ye scurvy dogs!" up at the local Ren Faire. I'm pretty sure I only just put away the puffy shirt.
But in spite of this, I maintain that Pirates was one of the best things to happen to summer flicks in a long, long time. It was that rare thing in a summer blockbuster: a surprise. Of course it had a lot of press and buzz but few expected it to be any good, even with the likes of Johnny Depp and Geoffery Rush. What a rare treat it is to be collectively wrong. Of course, then the sequels started and what started out as something fun and original became bloated summer fare.
While I liked Dead Man's Chest, I can't muster up much of a defense for At World's End. Yet today's summer Terrific Trailer is At World's End because there's nothing more depressing than a crappy film with a fantastic trailer. The film promised here is ten times better than the one shoved into theaters. You watch it and wonder "How the hell did they screw that up?" because it hints at exactly what should have followed Dead Man's Chest. Remember this trailer as you line up for this summer's movies, because five seconds of coolness (like that brilliant swords-and-music moment of 1:58, or the introduction of the pirate lords) can result in 2 1/2 hours of total disappointment.
But in spite of this, I maintain that Pirates was one of the best things to happen to summer flicks in a long, long time. It was that rare thing in a summer blockbuster: a surprise. Of course it had a lot of press and buzz but few expected it to be any good, even with the likes of Johnny Depp and Geoffery Rush. What a rare treat it is to be collectively wrong. Of course, then the sequels started and what started out as something fun and original became bloated summer fare.
While I liked Dead Man's Chest, I can't muster up much of a defense for At World's End. Yet today's summer Terrific Trailer is At World's End because there's nothing more depressing than a crappy film with a fantastic trailer. The film promised here is ten times better than the one shoved into theaters. You watch it and wonder "How the hell did they screw that up?" because it hints at exactly what should have followed Dead Man's Chest. Remember this trailer as you line up for this summer's movies, because five seconds of coolness (like that brilliant swords-and-music moment of 1:58, or the introduction of the pirate lords) can result in 2 1/2 hours of total disappointment.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-28-2009 @ 11:56AM
JimeneX said...
I didn't like any of the movies in this series, but I saw each one based on how awesome the trailers were.
I still get goosebumps when I remember seeing the Star Wars: Episode I trailer for the first time. We know how that turned out.
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4-28-2009 @ 12:11PM
Matthew Mac said...
I was good with Dead Man's chest, too, but I still don't know what happened to At World's End. In fairness, though, it's a little better with repeated viewings.
However, Davy Jones (the Pirates version) is one of my favorite movie villians *ever*. Moreso in Dead Man's Chest.
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4-28-2009 @ 12:19PM
MarkH said...
Dead Man's Chest and At World's End were both so spectacularly awful, that they made the first movie worse simply by existing.
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4-28-2009 @ 12:58PM
BReilly said...
Is this going to become a series in the future? I LOVE awesome trailers for awful movies, it's what most of my video folder is right now.
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4-28-2009 @ 2:11PM
Dan P. said...
I'm sorry, but I would not place this trailer in the "Great Trailers That Led To Bad Movies" category. I remember watching this trailer several times when it first came out and desperately WANTING it to excite me. Alas it never did. I'd say it's a pretty good representation of the final movie.
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4-28-2009 @ 2:31PM
vegimorph said...
I'm on the same page as you. Curse of the Black Pearl was a lot of fun. Dead Man's Chest was all right. I did like the cliffhanger cause it got my imagination going as to what could happen next. i didn't see At World's End in theaters thankfully. When I got it on DVD, I realized it was completely awful! the story stunk, some plot points were left unresolved and Will and Elizabeth's story ended badly. I'm hoping that Pirates 4 is good so the series can end on a good note. I'm did admire the epic scale of At World's End though. Either way, I think I'll focus on the National Treasure series because the first two movies have been really good so far
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4-28-2009 @ 4:21PM
tester said...
I still haven't seen all the Pirates movies. I am really behind on this one.
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