losthunter | Avast! Prepare Ye to Watch Some Movies ((Jim))

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Avast! Prepare Ye to Watch Some Movies ((Jim))

Tonight, Hunter has his apartment decorated with a pirate theme. He had invited Jim over for a movie-watching marathon, so they could watch the four of five Pirates of the Caribbean movies that Hunter owns.

And in addition to having some pirate decorations hanging around the living room, Hunter is dressed in a pirate costume. He also has some special treats prepared for the movie night, which includes caramel popcorn, salt and vinegar chips, pretzels, peanuts and a few chilled beers.

Everything is ready for Jim to show up, so they can start the movie night.

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"The first movie is really good at piecing together all the secrets of the characters, that I don't want to spoil anything by saying anything."

"But be prepared for many twists and turns." Hunter smiles, as he starts up the The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Jim was more concerned about cultural references and tropes he wouldn't get, but he supposes he can always ask later if something he doesn't understand comes up.

The movie holds his attention from the beginning, watching as the world slowly unfolds on the screen. And of course it certainly doesn't hurt that the actors playing Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann as adults are both attractive. He nods in satisfaction at the work put into making the swordfight in the blacksmith's shop look flashy and impressive yet still practical and natural, and he makes a mental note to introduce Sulu to this film sometime.

Of course, the real surprise comes aboard the Black Pearl, and Jim watches in somewhat appalled fascination as the villainous Captain Barbossa reveals the truth of the curse.

The thing that Hunter enjoys about this movie is that it stays true to the 'pirate culture' of ages ago, so there are no confusing cultural references that are referenced in the film.

Even though Hunter has seen this film many times before, he still gets into it easily again. Caught up in the tale itself. And watching for hidden little plot secrets, that might hint to other films.

And he enjoys the chaos caused by Captain Jack. And how Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann react to that chaos.

The thing that surprises Jim the most as the story unfolds is that even though the pirates aboard the Black Pearl are clearly the villains, their motives are far more complex than just greed. Not only that, but he understands, to an extent. Barbossa's monologue sticks with him, even as the film goes on, and it's an unexpected emotional gutpunch at the climax of the film, when Jack Sparrow kills Barbossa at last, and an uneaten apple rolls out of his hand, the one thing the mutinous captain wanted most.

He stays quiet as the ending plays out, as Jack escapes execution with the help of Will and Elizabeth, and reunites with his ship.

Hunter lets the credits roll, and the after-credits ending to play out, before finally ending the film. He turns to Jim, with a smile. "Any questions so far?"

It's not a question, but Jim does have a comment. "I wasn't expecting things to be so... realistic."

"One of the script writers was really into the historical adaptation of the pirate fantasy. He insisted that the whole rotten teeth and scurvy skin was part of the characteristics of those at sea. The ships were actually built for the film."

"And then with a little CGI, the undead became more realistic."

He switches DVDs so that he places the second one into the machine. "And with the success of the first film, they were given bigger budgets for each film that followed."

"I meant the characters," Jim clarifies, as the second DVD loads its menu. "Especially Barbossa."

"I'm glad that you liked him." Hunter has to hide a slight smile. There is more of Barbossa waiting to be discovered. And with that, he settles back into the couch and starts up Dead Man's Chest.

The second film has a darker tone right from the beginning, and Jim pays close attention to the plot that begins to build momentum much sooner than the first, introducing new characters and building on the events of the previous film. He doesn't generally get uncomfortable when watching this sort of thing, but when Will tracks down the Black Pearl on an island during his search for Jack, he pretty much instantly loses his appetite for the provided snacks once he figures out what the natives do to visitors.

He doesn't normally talk during movies, but he can't sit here and not ask. "Tell me they don't actually eat anyone onscreen." The scene seems like it's intended to play out as some kind of dark comedy, so he doesn't figure that's the case, but he has to know for certain.

"No. They don't. There are references to their habits..." Hunter pauses the movie for a moment. He can see that the scene is making Jim very nervous.

"Do you want me to fast-forward past this part?"

Jim tries not to be too defensive. He knows Hunter doesn't mean anything by it, and certainly isn't implying that Jim is weak for not wanting to see such things depicted onscreen. "Not if it's important to the plot."

Hunter just doesn't want Jim to be uncomfortable. There are a few movies that he owns, where he will fast-forward past a scene, because he would feel uncomfortable with the context (usually implied rape).

"Let's continue. The scene does play out with a dramatic escape."

"All right," Jim agrees. He's not going to be snacking on any of the food for a little while though, and the dark humor permeating the rest of the scene on the island doesn't really strike him as amusing, but once the crew make it off the island, Jim can relax a little.

And as the plot continues to unfold, he can put that part of the movie behind him, slowly reabsorbing himself into the plot, especially once Davy Jones himself enters the picture and Will meets his cursed father.

Hunter watches Jim for a moment, to make sure that nothing is making him react negatively. Once he sees that he is back into the movie, his own attention goes back to the screen.

He knows that this movie ends with some major plot holes. And just waits to see how Jim will react. Especially to the return of Barbossa.

The moment they started talking about bringing Jack back, Jim immediately guesses that the guide that Tia Dalma mentions will be Barbossa. After all, no other important named character has crossed over to the other side. And he's vindicated seconds later when the dead captain descends the stairs in the hut.

"So that's where the monkey went earlier," he says, once the cliffhanger ending leads into the closing credits. He doesn't know how, or how they're going to be able to trust Barbossa, but it's oddly satisfying to see the pirate finally get to eat the apple he'd been craving throughout the first film.

"That monkey is almost as big as a character as any of the rest." Once again, Hunter waits until after the closing credits, so Jim can see the after-credits scene of the dog escaping a similar fate as Jack.

Then he moves up to switch DVDs. It doesn't look like any of their food needs to be refreshed yet. "Need to stretch any muscles before I press play?"

"We're at the halfway point, right? Seems like a good spot for a short break." Not that Jim isn't somewhat used to sitting around for hours on end, but even when he was still on duty on the Enterprise, he would often get up and stretch his legs while checking on his crew's stations. And now that he's teaching classes at Starfleet Academy, he often chooses to meander a little through the lecture hall while conducting class, as well.

"It is a good spot." And while none of their food needs restocking at the moment, Hunter drank his beer and now wants to switch to an non-alcoholic drink.

"Any questions about the second movie?"

Jim is ready for something else to drink too. Beer has never been his favorite, though he doesn't hate it either. "A few," he admits, as he gets up to see what else Hunter has for drinks. "But I think most of them might be spoilers for the next one, with that cliffhanger it ended on. I'm gonna guess there's not a lot of science behind how the hell Barbossa's alive again."

Hunter has a few selections of soda pop (coca cola, sprite, gingerale), both orange and apple juice, grapefruit juice, water, and a orange fizzy pop. And his fridge is one of those types, where all the drinks can be stored in a separate side compartment of his regular fridge.

"Nope. Black magic. The details are in the next movie." Hunter doesn't want to spoil too much about what will happen next.

Jim grabs one of the ginger ales. It's not his usual first choice, but he's in the mood for the soothing qualities of the beverage. "Yeah, that's what I figured. It's a lot easier to bring people back in fiction than it is to do it for real."

The gingerale is typically the go-to drink for Hunter too, when he wants something more soothing.

He nods slightly to Jim's comment. Knowing that for Jim, the statement has a much bigger reality to it.

"And now they have a chance to try to reclaim Jack too."

Jim nods, wondering what exactly is going to happen to bring Jack Sparrow back. Are they going to have to fish him out of the kraken? Do some kind of ritual to resurrect him? But of course he knows Hunter won't tell him any spoilers, nor would he want any, and he only needs to wait a short amount of time to find out anyway.

"All the main characters are interesting so far... do you have a favorite?"

Hunter paused for a moment. He doesn't want to reveal too much. Especially since not all the characters in the first three films are in the fourth.

"Gibbs. He has luck on his side, to get him out of situations that Jack gets him into."

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