Today's Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

I went into this one with pretty low expectations. The first Pirates film in this franchise was a bit better than I expected back in 2003, but the Johnny Depp/Jack Sparrow flamboyant drunk schtick has grown old over the years. 

This one is more of what you'd expect going in; Johnny Depp swaggering about and finding himself in over the top ridiculous situations. It's done just well enough to be moderately entertaining, but the film overall is a bit underwhelming. Unfortunately, the other main characters are so dull that the drunken slapstick and predictable gags are the glue that holds the film together. The plot is pretty much par for the course; there's some curse and, for some reason, this is linked to Capt. Jack Sparrow. There are also some pacing issues and I found myself checking the time more than once.     

Overall, if you like the other 'Pirates of the Caribbean' films then you'll like this one. It's probably not the worst one. 

I give it a 1.5 out of 5.

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Today's Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

This one has been out for a few days now so I figured I'd check it out. Now,  I wasn't a huge fan of the first 'Guardians of the Galaxy' film from 2014 but I thought it was a fine comic book movie. (If you want to see where I have it ranked among the other Marvel Cinematic Universe films click here to check out that post.)

So, as usual, since this one is still in theaters I'll try to avoid any major spoilers for those who are interested in seeing the film. However, I will give you a few things I liked, disliked, and my overall rating.

First off, some of the problems I had with the first movie are still present in this one. Now, the film is well made so these are more personal preference things than anything else. Like it's predecessor this movie is jam packed with comedy and, for me, it's a bit much. I like some levity in my comic book films, after all they are about masked heros fighting super villains and the concept is inherently a bit silly. But there are a few too many jokes here and at times it felt like the comedy was slowing down the plot and got in the way of dramatic tension that should have existed. Additionally, I'm still not crazy about all the characters in this film franchise (Nebula, for example is one I just don't care for) so that does knock the movie down a peg for me.

I don't want to get too nitpicky because I did enjoy the film, so I'm going to move on to some highlights. Kurt Russell gives a standout performance in just about every movie he's in and this one was no different. I thought he was great in the movie, I liked his character, and his interactions with Star-Lord (played by Chris Pratt) we're some of the best moments of the film. Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) was my favorite character in the first 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and, even though I mentioned earlier how the film is a bit overstuffed with jokes, all of the comedic moments with Rocket worked for me again in this one. I also enjoyed the inclusion of Mantis (played by Pom Klementieff) and baby Groot, who I thought going in might be more annoying than anything, had some legitimately funny moments. Also, as in the first film, this one has a pretty good soundtrack that perfectly compliments the overall vibe of the movie.

Overall, I enjoyed this one a little more than the previous 'Guardians of the Galaxy'. There are some pacing issues but I did get a few laughs out of it and there was some growth to many of the characters. If you liked the first film then I recommend checking it out.

I give it a 4 out of 5.

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