Clip It: Each day, Jon Davis looks at the world of trailers, featurettes, and clips and puts it all in perspective.
Let me tell you something really important. I know that I just used the word “should” in the title of this article. Never say the word “should.” It's an inherent judgment on yourself.
Let's, for argument sakes, say that you see this Dead Men Tell No Tales teaser and you think: Okay, this looks interesting. I mean, Johnny Depp isn't in the trailer, but I know he's in this movie. He's got to be. I don't know why this installment is called Dead Men Tell No Tales when the third movie was called Dead Man's Chest, but if you put movies together on your shelf in alphabetical order, these two movies shall never part for the rest of their lives, unless Disney releases a movie called Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Martian Cries.
Anyway, you enjoy this teaser well enough and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales comes to a theater near you, and you want to see it, but life gets in the way. Then you're left saying, “I should have seen Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.” And look at what you just did to yourself. You made yourself feel bad. You're making the unfair assumption that you are supposed to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. And when you don't see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, you've come up short and failed. Bad!
This is what happens to writers when they procrastinate. They say, “I should have written today.” But when they do that, they bring both guilt and pressure upon themselves, making the whole task an increasingly negative experience, increasing the likelihood they won't want to write the next day.
Never say “should!” You are setting yourself up. Even if it's Pirates of the Caribbean. Yes, the first movie was a classic, the second two movies were increasingly confusing and hard to follow, and the fourth movie seemed like a studio cash grab. Maybe this fifth one is going to be special and end up winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Probably will. But remember, it's not that you should see it, it's that you could see it. And that's important.
Thank you.