Pirates 2

Kristin and I saw Pirates 2 yesterday (my Mom and Frank were good enough to watch Kathryn for us). First of all, the reviewer I quoted a few days ago greatly overstated the movie's "scare" factor. There were a few really gross scenes, but nothing that was any more disgusting than the things that elementary-age boys will do in youth camps. There's no way I'd take Kathryn, because it's still really scary, and she doesn't like pirates enough to make the scares worthwhile. But somebody like Joshua (a soon-to-be six-year-old, who really likes pirates) might enjoy it... if his Mom and Dad see it first (so they know when to cover his eyes). (By the way, Happy Birthday to Joshua and Kristin, who share a July 12th birthday).

Though it pains me to say it (because I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Superman fan), Pirates is a far superior summer movie than Superman Returns. Superman would have done far better if it had been released around September or October (after the summer movies, but before the heavy Oscar contenders). It just takes itself too seriously for a big summer blockbuster.

Pirates 2, on the other hand, really impressed me. In a word, it was fun! It was the perfect movie for the season. And it had just enough depth to make me want to see it again. Elizabeth's character development near the end of the movie was perfect, the more so because it was foreshadowed earlier in the movie. Oh, and if you hate cliff-hangers, be warned that this film is an obvious setup for the inevitable third movie. I hope they filmed them both at the same time, because I don't want to have to wait years for the resolution!