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Hot Toys' PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES Captain Jack Sparrow Shivers Merrick's Timbers!!

Published at: Feb. 6, 2012, 10:03 a.m. CST

 

 
Merrick here...
 
…with a look at Hot Toys' 12" Captain Jack Sparrow figure, available via Sideshow Collectibles.  
 
 
I'm not the biggest fan of the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN films.  I appreciate their gargantuan scale, opulent design, and high-end production values…and also enjoyed many of their wondrous dialogue exchanges.  But their plots were often too convoluted and indirect for their own good.  The pictures were agreeable to watch when I was watching them - even impressive - and I sometimes find myself humming the series' memorable musical movements and character themes by composers Hans Zimmmer and Klaus Badelt when I'm loading dishes or assembling laundry.  But I could never fi d my way to devoting too much heart to these films on the whole. They were like the hot girl (or guy?) most of us have encountered at some point in our lives:  very handsome and/or pretty, with a great deal to offer, but ultimately but a bit too much hassle to connect with.  
 
Whether one loves or hates these pictures, or remains as indifferent to them as I am, there's one inescapable truth: Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow character often stole the show, and will likely go down in history as the actor's most memorable role.  Which is why Hot Toys' new 12" Captain Jack Sparrow figure interested me quite a bit.  Captain Jack transcends the POTC films and stands on his own as a cinema icon. This, coupled with Hot Toy's admirably consistent quality control and often staggering facial reproduction capabilities, portended a figure that would put a smile on one's face at the very least.  
 
And it does.  
 
 
 
Hot Toys' unnerving representation of Johnny Depp's "Captain Jack" - referring to both his face and general stature here - completely nails the illusion that you're holding a miniaturized version of the character in your hands.  Indeed, one could almost imagine this figure being a prop within a POTC movie itself - perhaps in a subplot in which Jack is transformed into a doll by a dodgy magician of some sort. Where many action figures  - even higher-end ones - would've settled for painting on less consequential layers of clothing (or representing them through some other half-assed, cost cutting means), every thread of Sparrow's attire is actual fabric here.  And it's not just fabric - it's detailed fabric.  Buttons are meticulously adorned with decorative ornamentation, and patterns on shirts and scarves and jackets is clean and holds up to close scrutiny.  
 
Features on Captain Jack Sparrow include…
 
 
 -- Paralleled Eyeball Rolling System (PERS).  Here's a sample of that gag in action on THE DAK KNIGHT Joker from Hot Toys (see what I mean about Hot Toys' faces!?) 
 
 
-- Translucent Iris
 
-- Two faces, interchangeable. One pensive, one a tad more intense 
 
-- Nine hands, mix and match / interchangeable.  Hands in various positions. 
 
-- A bottle (scaled to the figure) 
 
-- A teeny tiny Black Pearl in a bottle (scaled to the figure) 
 
-- Two Pistols.  
 
-- One sword, one sheath. 
 
-- A telescope 
 
-- A hat 
 
-- A large, decorative ship's wheel (it turns!) 
 
 
-- A stand 
 
-- A Compass
 
-- A shrunken head
 
-- and more.  
 
All minutely detailed, all appropriately "aged" to reflect use and antiquity. All in keeping with the overall "vibe" of the figure.  I.e. every piece of this set feels completely organic with one another - this illusion is quite complete.
 
This is the ON STRANGER TIDES version of Jack Sparrow, ON  STRANGER TIDES being the fourth and most recent of the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movies.   Meaning this represents arguably the most confused and uncertain of those films, as well as Depp's sleepiest and least well-rounded interpretation of the character. It's to Hot Toys' immense credit that they successfully bypassed the picture's someone uninspired and lackadaisical nature to create a Captain Jack figure that stands nicely on its own, and somehow manages to evoke the whole of Depp's tenure in a nuanced and minutia-rich snapshot. 
 
 
 
Given the "meh"ness with which I regard the POTC quadrilogy, I wasn't expecting to find much affection for this figure. I expected to like it well enough because of the folks who made it make great figures, but I never expected to love it - because I never really loved the movies it evokes.  But I think I do love it.  This ON STRANGER TIDES Captain Jack figure transcends my apathy, and stands nicely on its own as both an exquisitely conceived and executed collectible, and a commemorative representation of one of the most lucrative franchises in the history of cinema. 
 
Very well done, and highly recommended for fans of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (or for movie lovers in general), the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES Captain Jack Sparrow from Hot Toys is now available for order HERE.  NOTE that Sideshow is offering a generous and recently enhanced FLEXpay plan which'll allow you to bag Jack by taking smaller hits over time.  I use this generous option quite consistently - it's nice.  
 
 
 
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