Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Published by Kaonashi July 21st, 2006 in Action, Comedy, Adventure, Period Piece.
Title: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Year: 2006
Director: Gore Verbinski
Starring Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
Rated: PG-13
NoFace for Film rating: 5 out of 7
After seeing the abysmal ratings Rotten Tomatoes gave to this film, I was disappointed since I really enjoyed the first Pirates. I know that it’s rare for a sequel to be as good as its predecessor, but I didn’t think that it would be this bad. However, I decided to give it a chance and watched it today. I’m glad that I didn’t pay attention to those critics.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest picks up more or less where the first film left off. Will (Bloom) and Elizabeth’s (Knightley) wedding day is ruined when both are arrested and sentenced to the gallows for aiding in the escape of Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp, once again excellent in his performance). In exchange for his and Elizabeth’s life, Will agrees to find Jack and steal from him a special item. Meanwhile, Captain Sparrow himself is in a bit of a pickle. A very nasty-looking, half squid guy called Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) is after Jack to collect an unpaid debt.
At an exhausting 2 1/2 hours, Dead Man’s Chest is chock full of action, fun, and exposition. You’ve got monsters, swordfights, explosions, comedy, a little romance, a family reunion, jealousy, betrayal, and a very interesting plot twist at the end that will have people begging for the sequel to come out sooner. Oh, and don’t forget to stay after the credits to find out what happens to that familiar dog with the keys in his mouth.
As I mentioned earlier, Johnny Depp’s charming yet amusing portrayal as Captain Jack Sparrow is terrific. The scenes with him trying to escape a tribe of natives are especially funny. I was pleased to see that Disney didn’t capitalize on the success and appeal of Depp playing Sparrow by focusing mainly on him. I was rather concerned that POTC: DMC would become merely a vehicle to showcase Sparrow, with Will and Elizabeth as a backdrop. Thankfully the characters’ screentime was relatively well-balanced. Admittedly, Knightley had the least amount of screentime, but it was understandable since much of the plot didn’t directly apply to her character.
I honestly don’t know why many critics gave negative reviews of POTC: DMC. I thought the story was engaging and interesting; there was a lot of action but not too much action that it overshadows the story; the acting overall was great, and there are some intriguing twists regarding the characters. Granted, there is a bit of redundancy in that the protagonists are once again dealing with supernatural foes, but oh well. I think my only complaint was the running time. Two and a half hours is a lot of movie to sit through, but granted that a lot happens in the film, I guess it’s understandable.
In spite of its hefty running time, POTC: DMC is a film I definitely wouldn’t mind watching again. I can’t wait for the sequel!
Technorati Tags: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Captain Jack Sparrow
3 Responses to “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest”
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I didn’t see the first one, because I thought it was going to be lame, since it was named after a ride at Disneyland. Actually, I think I like to base movies on their Disneyland ride counterparts. If they ever come out with a movie named Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, I think it’s going to suck.
Marvo- Believe me, that was the exact same reason I almost didn’t see the first one either. After all, look at Eddie Murphy’s “The Haunted Mansion”. But I was pleasantly surprised with the first Pirates movie. It truly is enjoyable, as was this one. Give both a chance
I sure miss the old Saturday Night Eddie Murphy.