Hee hee hee. I'm one of the big M&C cheerleaders around here, so it's fun to hear others find so much enjoyment out of the movie.
That opening battle, from the point where Jack sees the cannon-flashes from the
Acheron behind the fog - "Down!! DOWN!!!!" - to the moment they pull the
HMS Surprise into the fog bank contain the most amazing movie sounds I've ever heard. From the raw power of the cannon fire (it's broken my house), to the creaking of the men running above, to the splintering of the mast & rigging. Stunning. When I eventually pony-up for a Blu Ray player, it will be my first BR DVD.
It's been my 'reference' scene for a couple of years now and I've not found anything that elicits more, 'I didn't know a movie could sound like that!' comments from guests.
It did win the Academy Award for Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Cinematography back in 2003. It's pretty easy to see why.
And for anyone that enjoyed the movie for the plot and characters, the books are pretty good too. I'm up to the 4th or 5th one in the series. There are 21 of them, M&C is the 10th.
