Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) - Tired franchise looks for Fountain of Youth

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With new stars stepping up alongside franchise cornerstone Johnny Depp, a traditionally adventure-promising poster for Rob Marshall's Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Captain Jack Sparrow appears in London, where he helps his first mate Gibbs escape and start on a new adventure, - this time to find the Fountain of Youth!

 

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio (The Lone Ranger (2013), both)), loosely based on the novel On Stranger Tides (1987) by Tim Powers (Powers of Two (2004)), and directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago (2002)). It is the 4th film in the Pirates franchise (2003; 2006; 2007).

Johnny Depp's (Transcendance (2014)) Sparrow act is getting a bit old, and although there is still some fun left in the character, in the film's best lines, On Stranger Tides doesn't add anything considerable new, which makes it feel as if it runs down-hill in neutral gear, figuratively speaking.

Penélope Cruz (Sahara (2005)) is sexy but confused in a story without any semblance of reality to it, while Geoffrey Rush (The Best Offer (2013)) again succeeds in blowing worthwhile life into his character, Captain Barbossa. When the musical theme plays, one might almost forgive that there is no really good story at play here, and sure in glimpses the handsome animation (costly VFX take over large parts of the film) and great hair- and makeup jobs can be appreciated, - but none of these elements can save this heavily loaded and simultaneously light-as-a-fly sequel. Another problem is that the post-climactic scenes feel endless. 

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is a failed attempt at resurrecting the series after the dreadful third film, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007).

 

Related posts:

 

Pirates franchise: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) - Disney's tentpole franchise implodes

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) - Wild ruckus in Verbinski's entertaining first Pirates sequel 

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - Verbinski's sprawling Disney swashbuckler is a prime summer spectacle

Rob Marshall: Nine (2009) - Stars and robes save Marshall's Italian fantasy

 

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: 378.5 mil. $

Box office: 1,046.7 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 2.76 times its cost)

[Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides premiered 7 May (Disneyland Anaheim, California) and runs 137 minutes. Depp was paid 55.5 mil. $ for his performance in the film. Shooting took place from June - November 2010 in Puerto Rico, Hawaii and in London, England. Despite aims at lowering the film's cost from the previous two back-to-back shot films' budgets, 3D-camera shot On Stranger Tides' budget ballooned to the point where it became the costliest film ever made at the time. The cost fell from 410.6 mil. $ due to a 32.1 mil. $ tax rebate in England. The film opened #1 to a 90.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 3 weekends in the top 5 (#3-#4-#5), grossing 241 mil. $ (23 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 108.8 mil. $ (10.4 %) and China with 70 mil. $ (6.7 %). It was the 3rd highest-grossing film of the year, behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Roger Ebert gave the film a 2/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. It additionally made in excess of 102 mil. $ on the North-American home video market. The franchise returned with Depp and Rush in the 5th film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), the last Pirates film to date. Marshall returned with Into the Woods (2014). Depp returned in The Rum Diary (2011); Rush in Green Lantern (2011); Cruz in To Rome with Love (2012); and Ian McShane (Hellboy (2019)) in Snow White and the Huntsman (2012). Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is rotten at 33 % with a 5/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides? 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) - An exhausting end to Potter's emo saga

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Tousled hair and bloody-faced, Harry faces off with Voldemort on this dark poster for David Yates' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

Voldemort is wounded but deadly, as Hogwarts has been overtaken by Snape, and Harry and Co. are out looking for the three Horcruxes and an end to the regime of terror of Lord Voldemort.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is written by Steve Kloves (Flesh and Bone (1993)), adapting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007) by J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997)), and directed by great English filmmaker David Yates (The Tichborne Claimant (1998)).

The final chapter is the darkest, almost solely black or greyish tinted emo-movie in the increasingly emo-pained Potter franchise. There are poorly edited action sequences (like a fight with a dragon) and self-importance lurking behind every corner here. Anything can more or less happen in Potter's universe, which is also co-responsible for making the story's evolution seem highly random. It is certainly packed with elements that are meant to be taken as wisdom, but which is actually almost entirely trite nonsense. (SPOILER One of the film's big reveals is that Snape has had a life-long crush on Potter's mother ... )

One can't help but rejoice that the Potter ordeals are now finally at an end, and there are also some supporting actors that are enjoyable, like Kelly Macdonald (Anna Karenina (2012)) as the ghost. But over-all the sensation caused by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is one of exhaustion.

 

Related posts:

The Harry Potter franchise: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 (2010) - Harry's abysmally dour and long penultimate chapter

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) or, The Anemic British Teen Wizards Fly Again! 

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

2007 in films - according to Film Excess 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) - Yates enters the Potter-verse with series' best entry 

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) - Newell's overlong, on-brand 4th Potter adventure 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - Dangers lurk in Cuarón's overrated Potter chapter 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) - Potter and Co. return for handsome if overlong first sequel

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone/Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) - Columbus lands new family franchise successfully

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 125 mil. $ (250 mil. $ shared cost for Part 1 and 2)

Box office: 1,342.3 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 10.73 times its cost)

[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 premiered 7 July (London) and runs 130 minutes. Daniel Radcliffe (Kill Your Darlings (2013)) was paid 33 mil. $ for his performance; Emma Watson (Noah (2014)) and Rupert Grint (Postman Pat: The Movie (2014)) were each paid 15 mil. $. Shooting Part 1 and 2 took place from February 2009 - June 2010 in England, including in London. The film was converted to 3D in post production as the first Potter film to be released in the format. The film opened #1 to a 169.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent 2 more weekends in the top 5 (#2-#4), grossing 381 mil. $ (28.4 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 124.3 mil. $ (9.3 %) and the UK with 117.2 mil. $ (8.7 %). It set opening day and weekend records, was the year's highest-grossing film and Warner Bros. highest-grossing film to date, - and the highest-grossing in the Potter franchise. It was nominated for 3 Oscars: Best Art Direction, lost to Hugo, Visual Effects, also lost to Hugo, and Makeup, lost to The Iron Lady. It won 1/4 BAFTA nominations, an AFI award, was nominated for a Grammy, won 2 National Board of Review awards and several other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 3.5/4 star review, translating to 3 notches over this one. IMDb's users have rated the film in at #187 on the site's Top 250 list, sitting between Before Sunrise (1995) and In the Name of the Father (1993). The-numbers.com report that it has also made more than 157.7 mil. $ on home video copies domestically alone. Yates continued with the spin-off series Fantastic Beasts which so far spans 3 movies (2016; 2018; 2022, all by him.) Yates first returned with Tyrant (2014, TV-series) and theatrically with The Legend of Tarzan (2016). Radcliffe returned in The Woman in Black (2012); Watson in My Week with Marilyn (2011); and Grint in Ed Sheeran: Lego House (2011, music video) and theatrically in Into the White (2012). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 is certified fresh at 96 % with an 8.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2?

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) or, Museum Night: Sequel Time

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Lots of colorful characters and adventure elements are promised on this stuffed poster for Shawn Levy's Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

Daley the night guard from the first film now has a successful but unsatisfying company, but when an old Egyptian tablet threatens to awaken all of the Smithsonian in Washington, so Daley heads out - with help from sonny!

 

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is written by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon (Night at the Museum (2006), both) and directed by Shawn Levy (Address Unknown (1997)), who also directed the preceding, first film.

The followup to the lively family adventure is an uneven affair, which doesn't have much luck trying to occupy an abundance of positions: Giddy children's humor, adult comedy, and stabs at Indiana Jones-like excitement and action - which is never delivered.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is handsome, with an impressive cast, but deeply forgettable, poorly written, a scrap product.

 

Related posts:

Shawn Levy: 2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Date Night (2010) - Carell and Fey bring out the big laugh guns 

Night at the Museum (2006) - Levy and Stiller bring the family fun 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 150 mil. $

Box office: 413.1 mil. $

= Box office success (returned 2.75 times its cost)

[Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian premiered 14 May (Washington, DC) and runs 105 minutes. Shooting took place from April 2008 - ? in Washington, DC, New York, Montreal, Quebec and in British Columbia, including in Vancouver. The film opened #1 to a 54.1 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 3 weekends in the top 5 (#2-#4-#4), grossing 177.2 mil. $ (42.9 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 32.8 mil. $ (7.9 %) and Japan with 21.4 mil. $ (5.2 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 1½/4 star review, translating to a notch under this one. The film also made in excess of 63.1 mil. $ on the North-American home video market. Levy and stars returned for the third Night at the Museum; Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014). Levy first returned with Date Night (2010). Ben Stiller (The Suburbans (1999)) returned first in The Marc Pease Experience (2009). Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is rotten at 44 % with a 5.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian?

Sunshine (2007) - Boyle's great-looking, suspenseful sci-fi

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+ Best Huge Flop Movie of the Year + Best Science Fiction Movie of the Year

Critical hype that's barely readable features on this visually promising poster for Danny Boyle's Sunshine

The sun is dying, and consequently, so is mankind. A second manned space mission is launched in 2050 to reignite the sun with a nuclear bomb. But the Icarus II mission encounters many problems along the way...

Sunshine is written by Alex Garland (28 Days Later... (2002)) and directed by great English filmmaker Danny Boyle (Shallow Grave (1994)). It is arguably one of Boyle's best films and could even be called the most exciting space movie since Alien (1979).
Sunshine has beautiful images (terrific, ambitious cinematography by Alwin H. Küchler (Morvern Callar (2002))), impressive visual effects, a handsome, talented ensemble cast, and good suspense.
What isn't wholly great is the film's ending, which is strange, as a mysterious, deformed person from the first Icarus mission is roaming onboard. SPOILER It all ends in a psychedelic conclusion, where Boyle sticks closely to the film's unexceptional score (by John Murphy (The Man (2005))).

Related posts:

Danny Boyle: 127 Hours (2010) - Boyle and Franco get stuck with an inconsequential true story
2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
28 Days Later (2002) or, Fast Zombies in England 
The Beach (2000) or, Paradise Never Lasts

Watch a trailer for the film here 

Cost: 40 mil. $
Box office: 32 mil. $
= Huge flop (returned 0.8 times its cost)
[Sunshine premiered 23 March (Bochum Fantasy Filmfest Nights, Germany) and runs 107 minutes. Shooting took place in London, England, Sydney, Australia and in Stockholm, Sweden for 3 months, starting in August 2005. The film opened #25 to a 242k $ first weekend in 10 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #13 and in 461 theaters, grossing 3.6 mil. $ (11.3 % of the total gross). The film's biggest market was main production country the UK with 6.4 mil. $ (20 %). North America was the 2nd biggest, and 3rd biggest was France with 3.1 mil. $ (9.7 %). The film won 1/2 British Independent Film awards. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. It was criticized by scientists for scientific inaccuracies; for instance reportedly billions of the nuclear bomb targeted at the sun in the film would actually be needed to cause a reignition. Boyle said that he would not return to the sci-fi genre after the lengthy production process with Sunshine. The film made in excess of 15.83 mil. $ on North American home video sales; if added into the calculation, it would change the film's status to that of big flop instead. Boyle returned with Alien Love Triangle (2008, short) and theatrically with Slumdog Millionaire (2008). Cillian Murphy (Cold Mountain (2003)) returned in Watching the Detectives (2007). Sunshine is certified fresh at 76 % with a 6.84/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Sunshine?