Love Vs. Hate Special – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

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To commemorate Love Hate Relationship’s 100th episode, Alex and Andy have eschewed the traditional format for something totally different: the Love Vs. Hate Special. One topic, two sides of it, and no real winner to speak of, except hopefully the beautiful audience that’s stuck with us for 100 total episodes.

Our topic is 2003’s Jerry Bruckheimer-produced, Gore Verbinski directed, Johnny Depp-starring Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Andy takes the side of the Love, doting on the film’s solid script, brilliant action sequences, non-stop pace, and swashbuckling charm. He gives a basic history before going into everything he loves about this 21st Century Classic Film, to paraphrase him.

Alex, meanwhile, takes the Hate side to chastise the film’s terrible script (yes, we know), wooden acting performances, selectively awful editing, and overall bloat. Along the way, Andy is willing to make concessions, such as its sloppy handling of POV, while Alex makes admissions for positive points, like the excellent score and Geoffrey Rush’s performance.

And at the end of it all is some heartfelt gratitude for everyone whose been along for any and all of our own journey. Here’s to 100 more.