How do the subtitles work? Do they have both languages up there at the same time, or do you have to pick which version you want to see, i.e., French subtitles in Theater 1, German in Theater 2?

Both at once.

Huh. Rather at odds with you on points 1 and 3. I'm still not convinced Orlando Bloom was in the movie. And while Jack wasn't given as much to do in the sequel, I loved him and there's still plenty going on there that hasn't been explained.

Other than that, pretty much yeah. My theory is that the makers fell in love with the pretty-but-pointless Elizabeth-in-the-rain opening and ended up mucking up most of the opening act. I kept thinking about the opening to the first movie, with Jack stepping off the mast of his sinking ship and immediately getting into trouble. This one didn't have that, and it took a while to recover.

The thing I found most annoying about the movie was their attempt to create a love triangle. The whole Elizabeth/Jack rum-drinking thing in the first movie was played -perfectly- because they LEFT IT ALONE afterwards.

It's not that I always prefer the underlying sexual tension to the overt romantic drama, it's that there's nothing -plausible- about Elizabeth actually trying to have a -relationship- with Jack Sparrow. I mean, seriously. We know it, she must know it, so leave it be. Stupidness.

re: love triangle.

Well yea - we know it, she knows it, but Orlando is supposed to not know it, because he's young and not terribly confident.

But I could have used some more set up of Orlando being young and not terribly confident, something beyond his long, puppy-dog looks on camera (or merely relying on the audience's memory of him in the first movie).

re: Bloom and acting

I honestly didn't believe Bloom could play an actual person - as opposed to a pretty plastic person, or an elf - until I saw Elizabeth Town.

In any case, everybody got ripped off as far as character goes cause they fell in love with the long action sequences. Cut some of those sequences and give your characters some time to emote as opposed to just act, and yea, could have been brilliant instead of just fun.

I think the opening could have worked very well - in a different movie - but yes, the tone was totally wrong for the rest of the film. I still love the scene, mind you, I was just very aware of how out of place it was.