FROM: The 626 Published Fridays

Pirates 4: Meal and a Movie

Much like George Costanza in a famous episode from Seinfeld, Jeff Heimbuch has combined two things that he loves: meals and movies. He saw Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides at an AMC Dine-In Theatre, and reviews both meal and movie.

- by Jeff Heimbuch, May 27, 2011

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of seeing Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

So what, you're thinking. It's done $346.4 million dollars worth of people, worldwide. What's the big deal?

Well, I had the pleasure of enjoying the movie in one of AMC's new Dine-In Movie Theaters - not in Downtown Disney, but right here in New Jersey. Still, the experience was similar, so I decided to review both the film and the dinner.

I was a little apprehensive about both aspects. The press reviews of Pirates weren't all that great, and eating a meal in a movie theater just didn't seem right to me. However, I'm happy to report that both were incredibly pleasurable experiences.

Jeff Eats His Meal

When you first walk into the main lobby, you don't even feel like you're in a movie theater. Everything is designed as a sort of lounge, with couches, love seats, and other relaxing chairs arranged in small clusters. It felt more like a place to come hang out than it did a movie theater lobby.

While usually the focal point of any lobby, the ticket counter was located off to the side, and out of the way. It was almost hidden so as not to mess up the relaxed flow of the room.

The area where you'd expect to find the ticket counter is occupied by a full bar MacGuffins, named after the phrase coined by Hitchcock to refer to a plot element in a film meant to capture your interest. Guests can sit on a stool and enjoy a drink before their film starts. Or, if you're like me, you can opt to sit in one of the lounge areas where servers will take your order for appetizers and drinks.

About 20 minutes before your movie begins, you're allowed into the theater. From the mini-tour I took, there are two types of theaters available: the Fork & Screen and the Cinema Suites.

The Fork & Screen is just like a regular theaters, except with every other row taken out. In their place is a walkway in front of the remaining rows for the servers to use. The chairs are plush and comfortable, much more so than typical movie seats. A long table runs the length of each row where you eat your meal while watching the movie. Dim light provides enough illumination so you can see what you're eating without being bright enough to interfere with the movie on the screen.

Cinema Suites [shown in the image, above] are more expensive, but provide more privacy when you're with a group. The room is filled with luxury recliners, and the menu for your meal features premium, 'up-scale' selections. Each cluster of seats includes swivel tabls and eight-foot row spacing.

I sat in one of the Fork & Screen theaters. My menu was waiting for me on the table in front of my seat, and my meal options were similar to what I could have ordered at Applebee's or Friday's. When I knew what I wanted to eat, I got the server's attention by pressing a button on the table. Drinks were delivered in a few minutes, and the food arrived just as the previews began to play on the screen. I finished most of my food (chicken tenders) before the film even started. The food was surprisingly good - better than I've had at most restaurants!

The server came by to clear away my plates and ask whether I wanted anything else. I didn't, but if I changed my mind later, I could always get the server back by pressing the button. About a half-hour before the movie ended, my check arrived.

Overall, the Dine-In was a great experience, and was not an additional expense to a night out at the movies. It basically just combines the dinner and movie portion of a 'dinner and a movie' date night into one place and one time.

Jeff Watches His Movie

Now, onto Pirates 4.

For the most part, I loved the original Pirates trilogy. The Curse of the Black Pearl was a great introduction to the world of Pirates, and Dead Man's Chest is my favorite of the series. I thought At World's End was a mumbled mess which tried to pull everything together in a cohesive way that just didn't work. However, overall, the movies are a pleasure to watch, and very enjoyable. So, I was looking forward to On Stranger Tides and the continuing story of Captain Jack Sparrow.

I'm happy to report that, despite what the critics may think, On Stranger Tides is definitely an enjoyable movie. It jettisons much of the mythology from the previous films, and presents almost a new beginning to the sage. Gone are the past plot threads, which had begun to drag the story down. Instead, Johnny Depp is given free rein to do what he does best, and that's play Captain Jack Sparrow to the hilt. In that respect, the movie is comparable to Curse of the Black Pearl.

So what else worked?

For starters, having Barbossa back was a fantastic idea. I love how Geoffrey Rush and Depp play off each other. I would watch a sitcom starring the two of them. Ian McShane as Blackbeard was also great. He wasn't given much character development, but he did the best with what he had, and definitely made his presence felt on screen.

The story, while loosely based on a book by Tim Powers, wasn't that bad, either. It wasn't perfect, but it was nowhere near At World's End bad. There were plenty of action set pieces to keep the story moving, and plenty of moments for Sparrow to shine.

The last two Pirates films were filled to the brim with CGI-wonders, and at times, that held the story back. Here, the CGI is kept to a bare minimum, with the only really extravagant work going into the mermaids - who looked incredible.

In fact, the mermaid scene is the only scene possibly too intense for small children. The mermaids are frightening: Ariel, these girls are not. You may have to cover the little one's eyes!

So, what DIDN'T work?

I'm going to hear flack from Bob, but unfortunately, my main gripe with the film was Penelope Cruz. While she is a lovely actress in other films, I just couldn't buy into her character here. She was, at times, annoying, and her set up as a potential love interest for Jack just didn't seem to work for me.

Bob's Three Cents: I'm going to assume Jeff had a dodgy chicken tender, because Penelope Cruz as a pirate sets my wooden leg to tappin'.

I only have two other gripes, both dealing with the story.

The characters of Phillip the preacher and Syrena the mermaid were obviously created as replacements for Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan. Their romance, if you can call it that, felt forced, and did the story no favors.

Also, the group of Spaniards that open the film, and who acted as a threat for the main characters en route to the Fountain of Youth, were throw-away characters. Their appearances, book ending the film, left me wanting to know more about them.

Overall, both food and film were very pleasant, especially in combination.

People looking for a nice evening out should definitely consider one of the Dine-In Theaters, if one happens to be nearby. Right now, there are only about seven in the whole country, so next time you're in Disney World, make sure you allocate some Downtown Disney town for a meal and a movie!

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