The movie continued on the big screen.
The very night Captain Jack was captured, the Black Pearl appeared and attacked the fortress. This happened because when Elizabeth fell into the water earlier that day, the cursed coin around her neck was activated, sending a signal that drew the ship to them.
Amidst the ferocious cannon fire from the Black Pearl and a surprise attack by the pirate crew, Elizabeth was taken captive.
The plot then moved to the part where Captain Jack and Will team up to assemble a crew to rescue Elizabeth. This segment of the story was filmed in a fluid and entertaining way that the audience found incredibly smooth.
A notable part came after Elizabeth's capture: a scene where the undead crew members on the ship reveal their skeletal forms. It was filmed in a way that was both very Disney and yet... not so Disney. It was a famous moment that movie buffs would be talking about for years.
It was not so Disney because for a studio that typically makes children's stories, the sinister, grinning skeletons might actually scare the kids. This scene is reportedly why the movie received its first-ever PG-13 rating from the studio.
But it was very Disney because this slightly scary scene was presented in the form of a musical number. Seeing the terrified Elizabeth surrounded by dancing skeletons who spun her around the ship had a bizarre, comical feel to it.
Then, the plot finally reached its high point: the confrontation between Will and Captain Barbossa.
Many audience members had decided to come to the theater just for the thrilling glimpse of this fight they'd seen in the trailer.
As Will and Captain Barbossa stood atop the mast, the highest camera angle was positioned even higher than they were, shooting slightly downwards. This clearly showed just how high the actors were positioned.
"That is way too high! That's like ten stories up. I'd get weak in the knees just walking around up there, let alone filming a fight scene," one audience member remarked.
"They say Luke did this part without a safety harness."
"Why wouldn't he wear a harness? Isn't that super dangerous? What if something went wrong?"
"Because he had to jump and flip around his opponent during the fight. A harness would have gotten tangled and made it impossible to complete the planned moves."
"That is insane dedication. Luke is willing to risk anything to make an action scene look great."
On the big screen, Captain Barbossa swung his sword. Will executed a backflip to dodge it, landing perfectly balanced on the mast.
The audience immediately burst into gasps.
"If he'd missed his step there, he would've fallen straight down from over 100 feet!"
"Were there safety mats on the deck?"
"Even safety mats might not help. Falling from that height, if you land at the wrong angle, you could break your neck."
"Oh my God! He's flipping again! And it's a series of flips!"
"He flipped three times in a row! A tuck backflip, a straight backflip, a twisting side flip—and each one was different!"
"His balance and his nerve are just incredible, I'm sold! I'd buy another ticket just to see that part again."
"No wonder he didn't use a harness; you couldn't do those moves with ropes. He's risking his life to give us this visual spectacle."
Gasps and shouts of amazement kept coming from the audience.
As Luke listened to the praise, he felt that the risks he took during filming were entirely worth it. Without these moments of turning the impossible into the possible, without these repeated jolts of shock for the audience, how could he ever become an immortal legend?
This was the path Luke had to take, even if it was fraught with hardship.
At that moment, Luke felt a hand reach out and firmly grab his left hand.
It was Taylor's hand, and Luke clearly felt that her palm was cold and sweaty.
Taylor wasn't looking at him; her eyes were glued to the screen. Her grip was so tight that Luke felt a slight pain.
But she didn't say a word.
The next moment was the most thrilling in the entire movie, and it hadn't been shown in any trailer.
So, when Luke's character leaped from the great height on the screen, the entire theater went ballistic.
"Ah! Oh my God! Oh my God!"
"He doesn't have a safety rope!"
"Please, don't let anything happen!"
Many audience members anxiously rose from their seats. The viewers behind them, whose view was now blocked, had to stand up too, terrified of missing the next moment.
"Is Luke okay?"
"Please, be safe!"
At that moment, they completely forgot that Luke must be fine, or he wouldn't have been playing football so actively later, causing all that controversy. The audience was completely immersed in the movie, unable to connect back to reality to make a judgment. Their eyes were locked on the screen, afraid of missing a single detail.
On the screen, the rapidly falling Will grabbed hold of the lower mast, executed a few beautiful spins to dissipate the impact of the fall, and landed firmly on his feet.
Seeing this, the entire audience involuntarily rose to their feet.
"Clap-clap-clap-clap-clap-clap!"
Thunderous applause erupted throughout the theater. In the confined space, the applause sounded even louder due to the echo.
The movie's soundtrack was completely drowned out by the clapping, but no one cared. All they wanted was to show their respect for Luke at that moment.
What if they miss some of the plot?
No big deal—they'd just buy another ticket and watch it again. Supporting Luke was worth any price!
But what if they applaud during the second showing too?
Well... then they'd just treat that small section of the plot as if it didn't exist.
At that moment, the only people in the entire theater not standing up and applauding were Luke and Taylor, tucked away in the corner.
Luke felt his hand being squeezed tight, and then he felt a cold drop of water land on his hand.
Soon, a second and a third drop followed.
Luke turned his head and saw that Taylor was crying profusely.
"Hey, don't cry. See? I'm totally fine. You'll ruin your makeup if you keep crying," Luke said, pulling out a tissue and handing it to Taylor.
Since she didn't take it, Luke gently took her hand and wiped the tears from her face himself.
"I know what I'm doing. That stunt might be a death wish for anyone else, but it wasn't a real challenge for me, so you genuinely don't have to worry."
Luke couldn't tell her that he decided to do the stunt only after the system assessed it as having a 96% success rate. So, the risk he took wasn't nearly as high as everyone imagined. The public's misconception of the danger would only bring Luke more acclaim, so he didn't mind the misunderstanding.
However, seeing a loved one worry was something Luke hated. Taylor was probably terrified, and nothing he said would help; she just had to process it on her own.
After a long while, Taylor finally spoke: "This is the path you chose, and I won't tell you to stop. But you have to remember, I'll stand by you no matter what. If you ever dare to be afraid to bother me, you're dead!"
Luke stroked her hair and said with a smile, "Okay."
A simple word, without any unnecessary flourish, but it held more power than anything else he could have said in that moment.
"Wait a second. You're too good at wiping tears off a girl's face. You didn't even smudge my makeup!"
Luke knew better than to answer a trap question like that. The more he said, the more likely he was to say the wrong thing.