Clerks II and Pirates 2
July 23rd, 2006
Last night was movie night! My wife and I went to see Clerks II with a friend of mine from work and then just the two of us stayed on to watch Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man’s Chest. Both movies were great, although I must confess I enjoyed Clerks II a good deal more. Anyone who knows this will not be surprised by this in the least.
Clerks II was easily Kevin Smith’s best movie to date. It had all of the crude and nasty bits of his other movies but it also had a lot more of something the others lacked: heart. This movie actually contained a few very touching scenes. The two exceptions are the somewhat gay go-cart scene and the inexplicable dance number. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed both scenes – the former for its heart, although somewhat disturbing (perhaps because I wasn’t expecting anything of the sort in the movie) and the latter because it was so inexplicable. Some portions of the movie I know I got more out of from reading Smith’s blog (http://silentbobspeaks.com), especially the Jay and Silent Bob portions. Some of that material was pulled straight from his tale of Jason Mewes’ battles with drug abuse. Perhaps knowing this story added to that feeling of heart, the impression that on some level portions of the movie are autobiographical. Anyway, if you haven’t seen it yet, go see it now. A most excellent movie.
Pirates 2 was also an enjoyable time. I cannot remember the last time I spent money at a theatre and felt that I got my money’s worth (probably when I saw Serenity) and last night it happened twice. Pirates 2 is enjoyable for all the same reasons that the first one was and perhaps that’s why I say Clerks II was great and this merely good. Clerks II, I think, added more to the original story not just in terms of additional plot but in taking familiar characters in new and different directions. Pirates 2, however, takes the same characters through different plot points but they don’t grow all that much beyond what we know of them. Sure there are a couple of moments when we see some character growth but not a lot. Don’t get me wrong here, I really enjoyed the movie. It was a very enjoyable experience. I guess I just don’t feel that it went that extra mile like Clerks II did. To be completely fair, I shouldn’t be comparing these movies to one another at all – but such is the nature of seeing them both in the same night.
Anyway, I am rambling. See both movies, they are well worth it…even if you have to pay the extortionate theatre prices.
