3. He Has a Unique Visual Style
Say what you like, but Verbinski does spectacle very, very well. This is best demonstrated in Rango, one of the best films of last year and one of the best animations Ive seen in years (better than anything Pixar has come out with after Toy Story 3!). It was obviously a labour of love- full of references ranging from Hunter S. Thompson to Chinatown to Sergio Leone- and in addition to be very, very funny and inspired, it looked gorgeous. As do all of Verbinskis films. But that is to be expected from the feature animation debut of ILM. It cost a lot, but boy did it pay off! Theres a reason why Rango is Verbinskis best film in my mind The best thing about The Pirates sequels, I thought, was the unique imagery obviously inspired by Surrealism. That is why I think At Worlds End is far superior to Dead Mans Chest- yes, it is far too bloated and convoluted, but it looks stunning. That best parts of the film are spent during the journey to, at and from Worlds End- Verbinski is clearly having a lot of fun, even if it as the expense of the narrative, emotion and character. I still remember when I saw At Worlds End for the first time, and as a 12 year-old boy I thought the final battle in the middle of the Maelstrom was one of the greatest things Id ever seen- still do, if truth be told. Yes, it was a CGI-fest; and unlike the third act of The Avengers or The Battle for Hogwarts it did not propel the story or really heighten the emotional stakes for any of the characters (well, it did to an extent with Davy Jones heart, Jacks redemption and Wills death) but it tops anything youre likely to see in Battleship or Transformers. No matter how soulless or cynical a studio blockbuster might seem, if Gore Verbinski directs it you are assured some truly wonderful eye candy that makes some of the ticket price worth it. If The Dark Knight Rises is an A+, and Transformers 3 is an F in terms of blockbusters worth seeing, surely The Lone Ranger will be a C for being at least mildly interesting?
So, Verbinski has made three solid flicks, two slightly above-average sequels and two stinkers. Hell probably never make Bioshock, and things probably wont end well for The Lone Ranger. But hes one of the better directors out there who is not an auteur with a signature style and powerful, timeless messages to convey. But not everyone can be Paul Thomas Anderson, and if a film comes out with Gore at the helm, I will more than likely be interested in seeing it. I admit that Ill see The Lone Ranger, and chances are Ill like it, but that will mostly be down to Gore and his visual eye. I will see a film by Gore Verbinski over a film by Michael Bay any day, no matter how unremarkable either film might be. Because Verbinski is actually an interesting director, and he would do well to stick to films like Rango and The Weather Man instead of jumping onboard bloated franchises. I think I like Verbinskis over-expensive, over-long films for the same reason I like Prometheus- it may be very flawed and not necessarily unique, but they are something different in a time of identikit studio films, and they may be self-indulgent, but they do chuck out some original ideas and concepts, and whilst they may not hit the mark, they do try. So cut ol Gore some slack, already!