Just got back from seeing the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie with Markie and Jess. It was lots of fun, but it would have definitely been better if I'd watched the first movie recently. Inside jokes, you see.

It's also worth noting that the movie is a veritable love letter to rum.

I actually read a review where the writer admitted that she hadn't seen the first movie at all. Was that supposed to be a "hook," that this person is completely unfamiliar with everything established in the first movie, you know, the one before this sequel? I've always felt that the first movie in a trilogy is usually underrated, given how much heavy lifting it does compared to later installments. It's one thing not to appreciate what's already been accomplished, but to avoid learning about it entirely?

The best attitude for watching Pirates 2, if you can't smuggle rum drinks into the theater? Remember that this movie is the sequel to a movie based on a ride, and try to appreciate the spectacle without looking down your nose at it. This is, after all, our nation's best pirate movie franchise.