Well, to make a 2 hours and 45 minutes story short, I didn't like the movie. The first two hours were saturated with twisty deals, backstabbings, and draining dialogue, which all amounted to me being quite confused. For some movies it's okay to be confused for a bit, because after a few minutes the film will usually unravel the confusion for you and lead you to an "ah-ha" moment. For "Pirates," the same could not be said. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I almost fell asleep halfway through the film.
Chow Yun-Fat was wasted, Keira Knightley's frailty and tinny voice made it unbearable to see her for a third straight installment trying to be tough, and Orlando Bloom is proving that he can be nothing but an effeminate elf, and is the farthest thing from a pirate. Even Johnny Depp's fun and humorous Jack Sparrow was kind getting lame by the end of the film.
I'll stop bashing on the movie now, because if I don't I'll probably go on for another fifty three lines. If you've seen it, then you probably know the deal.
I give it a resounding D+. The only thing that kept this movie afloat for me was Davy Jones (one of my favorite movie characters of all time, played by the brilliant Bill Nighy) and some nice CGI effects.
Anyhow, there was one scene that I particularly enjoyed. (Spoiler alert.) It was the scene where the Chinese boat had passed through an arctic sea and was riding calmly on the black water at nighttime, with the bright stars reflecting pristinely off of the sea, making it appear that the boat was floating in space.
The crew begins to become distressed at Captain Barbossa's seemingly careless guidance to Davy Jones' locker (which we find is death). He confesses that he is lost, and the crew panics, much to his pleasure. Barbossa smiles and says:
"You have to be lost to find a place that's never been found."
Boy oh boy, when I heard him say that line I immediately woke up from my stupor.
For those who have put their trust in Christ, I think this line says a lot. When you are lost you are unable to guide yourself, you cease to have control over your path, and your surroundings are wholly unfamiliar to you. I think many times, God puts you in these "lost" moments. It may be cruel at first, and it may come in the horrible form of a loved one's death, the loss of a job, the sullying of your reputation, the crumbling of your GPA, or the confusion over your career path, among many other things. But I really believe (from personal experience, and from countless stories in the Bible) that God leads you through these lost moments to bring you to "a place that's never been found." Do you want to get to higher ground, greater joy, fuller fulfillment, and more intimacy? Don't be surprised if this requires you to get lost first.
For those who do not believe in Christ, I think that it is very likely that God will make you fully aware of your lostness if he desires you to find him. He will make it clear to you that you are lost, that you have no control over your life. You've tried your darndest to find peace, fulfillment, and lasting joy on your own, but in the end you'll find that it's "a place that's never been found."
It's after you realize, acknowledge, and confess this fact that you begin to get "unlost."
Of course, it can't stop there. I can get lost somewhere in Nebraska and admit it, but that doesn't help me to find my way. I need to get help, and that is what salvation is. It isn't political, it isn't financial, it isn't emotional. It is the very real God hearing your confession of lostness and your plea for help, and his merciful response to save you where you are. He does not demand that you find your way to him. He finds his way to you.
Jesus on the cross is God's promise to save on full display for all the world to see. At your call he will save you from whatever lostness you're in, wherever you are, and you will be found.
"You have to be lost to find a place that's never been found."
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