Letters to the Editor
-
Um . . .
Let me preface this by saying that I love trashy summer movies as much as the next guy; I dug "The Devil Wears Prada," "Cars," and "Mission: Impossible 3" -- as well as the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. On the other hand, there's a difference between being unpretentious and being lobotomized.
If anything, Stephanie Zacharek was too easy on "Dead Man's Chest." This was one of the dreariest moviegoing experiences of my life. The movie is plodding and dull, the action sequences are difficult to follow . . . the characters' motives are impossible to decipher . . . and even the CGI effects look phony (the surfaces are way too glossy; you know what I'm talking about). But listing the things I didn't like about the movie isn't even the right approach; the better question is: what's to like?
Yes, Johnny Depp is in the movie. And Keira Knightley. And pirates. Yes, everybody loves Johnny Depp, and Keira Knightley, and pirates. I agree! I like all of those things too! But the actors are no more engaging and alive than video game characters here; the movie is drab and joyless from start to finish.
Defending a crass, soulless, depressing movie like "Dead Man's Chest" (or any of the last three "Star Wars" films) seems like a waste of energy.
And by the way, I don't blame Zacharek for failing to miss the dog stuff after the closing credits; I couldn't wait to get out of the theater either.