Should Pirates of the Caribbean 4 Be All Jack, All the Time?
Thursday, 14 February 2008
Jack Sparrow
A pirate buddy movie? That's the rumor these days. And while I don't think there are many folks out there complaining that Disney, Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski are contemplating a fourth movie in the series, there are folks wondering whether setting an entirely new course is the right idea. I, however, am not one of them. Nothing excites me more that they're shaking up the series. Is it that I don't like Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley or their characters Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan? No. Hell no. In fact, I love them. But there are some real reasons this series could benefit from the trimming of some of its most important characters.
It's all about Jack.
Let's face it. No one dresses as Will Turner for Halloween. No one does Elizabeth Swan impressions at parties. Every time there's a PotC movie, everyone talks about the same person -- Johnny Depp. And they talk about the same character -- Jack Sparrow. And if you watch all three films together, one thing becomes very clear: the series opens with Jack Sparrow and it ends with him right back where he started. He's the real hero. He's the thrust of the series. So you start first and foremost with him.
Will and Elizabeth are done.
While the story might have centered on these two, their story is over. Watching the final scene after the credits of At Worlds End tells you everything you ever need to know about these two and what happens to them over the next ten years. Trying to write around what was a perfect ending to a great series is one of the largest, most oft repeated mistakes made by Hollywood producers with dollar signs in their eyes. Leave them behind. It doesn't mean they can't make an appearance somewhere down the line. Jack could once again end up in the land of the dead and need a guide. And guess what? He knows one! Or maybe he needs the help of some Chinese pirates. Oh look, guess who knows the woman who once was their queen? But shoehorning them in is a bad idea.
This avoids the Lethal Weapon syndrome. The Lethal Weapon series was great. Sadly the filmmakers never knew when a good thing had run its course and had to make sure that every character that ever showed up in a film stuck around. The result was a bloated cast filled with much beloved characters with nothing to do. Yes, Joe Pesci was great, but by movie no. 3, they should have left him at that drive-through. For further evidence, see also Shrek the Third.
Keep it simple. A great story takes its characters from one point to another. The biggest complaint about the third film was that they were so focused on wrapping everything up for all their characters that the plot ended up convoluted and far too complicated. And as much as I reveled in that delicious complication, even I would love to see a simple return to another great story about the coolest pirate to ever sail the seven seas.
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