Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (DVD, 2006, Widescreen)

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When Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) learns his blood debt to the infamous pirate of the ocean Davy Jones (a wonderful Bill Nighy, somewhere under heavy CGI) is being called in, he looks to duck his promise and find a way to break the oath. Also trying to track Jack down is his old partner Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), who must locate Jack's magical compass to help free his bride-to-be, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), from prison. As Jones and his evil aquatic minion hunt the waters searching for their prize, Will finds his father Bootstrap Bill (Stellan Skarsgard) is in dire straights; Elizabeth meets her pirate destiny; James Norrington (Jack Davenport) thirsts for revenge; and Jack quests for a special chest that contains his only chance for freedom.
The success of 2003's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" was found in its gonzo Saturday matinee appeal. Determined to keep itself as frothy as possible and as thrilling as summer entertainment allows, "Black Pearl" was an enormous, and unexpected, sensation at the box office. More importantly, it made audiences slap-happy again with the idea of seeing pirates onscreen.

"Dead Man's Chest" is the hotly anticipated second installment (a third, "World's End," is due next May), and it gives the audience what it wants, but this time the attitude feels deflated, and the end product lacks a good sense of rum-drunk playfulness.

"Black Pearl" had a stealth appeal to it that was irresistible: audiences weren't expecting quality from a movie based on a theme park ride, they didn't believe a pirate movie could be so richly pleasurable, and nobody had seen Johnny Depp take such a mainstream acting risk before. That sparkling element of surprise helped the film hurdle some serious comedy problems and third act pacing issues. "Chest" launches itself under intense expectations, and you can sense the production is now wary of taking on any new gambles with this enormously budgeted sequel.

Director Gore Verbinsky is more than happy to dish out additional Jack Sparrow escapades, and for the most part, this is a slick motion picture. Using his bottomless buckets of money to dream up sophisticated action set pieces for his characters to tumble around in, "Chest" is spectacular when the adventure goes huge. For instance, not only do Jack, Will, and Norrington finally have their much-anticipated battle of wits and steel, they just happen to be clashing on top of a gigantic rolling water wheel, scrambling to keep their balance as they truck down a jungle mountainside. Also great fun is the Kraken: Davy Jones's monster squid-like "pet" that inhales entire ships in one gulp on command. Verbinski devotes nearly 30 minutes to fighting this beast, but it's worth the excessive screen time; it's an astounding sea creature special effect and the film's one viable threat (out of far too many) to our heroes.

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Although not as dark as it sounds, Dead Man's Chest delivers the goods and hints at many more adventures to come. I don't know if the Pirates writing crew is making this up as they go along or if they have a vision, but this film certainly hinted at a much broader vision of things to come with numerous references to past battles, loves lost, and hearts kept under lock and key. It is a much more encompassing movie than was The Curse of the Black Pearl, but it is much more loose in structure. Verbinski keeps the action going despite what is a pretty complicated set of stories, more or less interwoven together but ultimately left unresolved. Johnny Depp may get top billing but it is Orlando Bloom who takes the lead in this movie, holding his own against sea-monsters and the King's men alike. With nothing more to go on than the image of a key, Will Turner and Captain Jack Sparrow are reunited (sort of) in an attempt to unlock a chest that offers a strange treasure indeed. Keira Knightley is reduced to a stowaway, with some memorable scenes, but not as big a role as she had in The Black Pearl. Bill Nighy steals the show as the incredible Davy Jones, a half man/half sea monster that draws on Captain Nemo more than the Flying Dutchman, but develops a troubled dark soul all his own. Naomie Harris makes for a fetching Voodoo Queen who ultimately unlocks the secret of this adventure, aiding Captain Jack and crew on their dark voyage. Jack Davenport returns as Norrington, a much more compelling character this time around than he was in The Black Pearl. Having fallen from grace, he completes the triangle that makes for some pretty tense action, especially in the closing scenes.

Be warned that Dead Man's Chest is an open ended movie, setting up what promises to be a thrilling third installment to Pirates of the Caribbean. Not only that, it hints at possible prequels because it covers so much territory in this sprawling movie that it leaves you craving for much more.

I was told once that if you threw enough darts, you'd hit the bullseye at least once. Perhaps this was Disney's approach with their "movie-based-upon-an-attr​action" streak as of late.

You look back at a few of the toilet gems that Disney has given us (Country Bears, Haunted Mansion) and you might say to yourself "Cripes, why don't you quit trying to get a purse from a sow's flabby backside?".

Of course, all that changes once a little actor named Johnny Depp found the character of Captain Jack Sparrow and truly made it his own.

Pirates Of The Carribean 2: Dead Man's Chest is not a great piece of storytelling or a showcase from Oscar winning performances (of course, I had no such expectations). What we do get in this film is what made the first film so enjoyable: little bursts of fun that make you wish you could be the one strutting around on an old ship with an eyepatch and a cutlass at your side.

This time around, Captain Jack Sparrow discovered that his debt to Davy Jones is being called in and he goes on the run from the terror from the depths in a mad search of a way to weasle out of the deal. That is the story in a nutshell, but it is easilly lost and made complicated by the script attemtping to give almost every major and minor chracter reasonable screne time. I'm not saying that it is not an enjoyable effort, but most of my friends and family took a few viewings of the film to figure out what was going on.

There are a few performances that really bring this film up a notch. I have to mention Johnny Depp, since you can tell that he is really having a lot of fun playing Captain Jack Sparrow and he holds nothing back when he is on the screen. I also enjoyed Naomie Harris, who played Tia Dalma a.k.a The Voodoo Lady. She really added to the feel of the film and played wonderfully off the rest of the cast.

However, there is one performance that I personally felt stood above the others and that is of Stellan Skarsgård a.k.a Bootstrap Bill. Stellan really sold me on the pain and suffering he experienced after signing on with Davy Jones crew. As well, he also projected quite well Bootstrap's love for his sun, Will Turner.

The special effects were nice, but really didnt "wow" me. I know a lot of people raved about Davy Jones and his crew, but I didn't consider it too much of a feat (even after watching a few "how they did it" specials on the subject). The scenery was average as well, but I think all this will change in the next film when the crew heads to World's End to search for Captain Jack Sparrow.

In the end, I'd recommend this film if you're looking for an enjoyable adventure movie and a great Johnny Depp performance. Be warned, however, that this film is somewhat dark and there are some parts that may frighten small children.

Not as good as the first movie but classic Johnny Depp.

Charming rogue pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is back for a grand, swashbuckling, nonstop joyride filled with devilish pirate humor, monstrous sea creatures, and breathtaking black magic. Now, Jack's got a blood debt to pay - he owes his soul to the legendary Davy Jones, ghostly Ruler of the Ocean Depths...but ever-crafty Jack isn't about to go down without a fight. Along the way, dashing Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and the beautiful Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) get caught up in the thrilling whirlpool of misadventures stirred up in Jack's quest to avoid eternal damnation by seizing the fabled Dead Man's Chest! Features: Audio Commentary with Writers Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio Bloopers Of The Caribbean Charting The Return - Pre-production Documentary Pirates On Main Street: The Dead Man's Chest Premiere According To Plan: The Harrowing And True Story Of Dead Man's Chest Mastering The Blade: Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport Captain Jack: From Head To Toe Meet Davy Jones: Anatomy Of A Legend Creating The Kraken Dead Men Tell New Tales: Re-Imagineering The Attraction Jerry Bruckheimer: A Producer's Photo Diary Fly On The Set: The Bone Cage

Repulsive looking Davy Jones but Captain Jack is still a Charmer

I'm a big Johnny Depp fan and a BIG Captain Jack Sparrow Fan (I even have a Captain Jack Sparrow T-shirt I wear all the time). This being the case, I don't think it would've been possible for me not to have liked Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest at all. However, I was hoping to come away from the movie just as excited about it, as I was after seeing Pirates of the Caribbean Curse of the Black Pearl, but I wasn't. The sequel fell short of the originality and nonstop excitement we got in the first.

The biggest disappointment in Dead Man's Chest is the character of Davy Jones played by Bill Nighy. It seems ironic that Jack Sparrow's character was a sure sign of genius and ingenuity from the creative mind of Johnny Depp, and is what made Pirates of the Caribbean the phenomenon it is today. Yet in the sequel, someone came up with a repulsive looking Davy Jones who is half man/half sea creature. He had the characteristics of cross-between a Star Wars and Lord of the Rings monster with eyes befitting a mass murderer from some horror flick. I found it difficult to look at the screen when there were close-ups of him, which was often. Bootstrap Bill's character, played by Stellan Skarsgård wasn't as bad, but unimpressive as well. He looked like some kind of freak in a costume someone would throw together on Halloween night.

Other than a few characters missing, the cast from Curse of Black Pearl was in Dead Man's Chest and it was enjoyable to see an ensemble of the old delightfully original and charismatic characters again.

As for Captain Jack Sparrow, well as can be expected he was the star of the show; however, Depp appeared to play the character with less flamboyance and animation this time around. I wondered if Depp might have enjoyed pretending to be a real-life pirate more in Curse of the Black Pearl than he did in Dead Man's Chest. The thrill of it all might have faded just a bit, which wouldn't be hard to understand considering Johnny Depp's apparent need for unusual, offbeat and eccentric roles.

The best part of the Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest is the ending which makes you leave the theater wishing the Part III sequel was playing the next day. There is an unexpected twist that will keep you wondering how it will play out in the sequel.

Bottom line... Is it worth seeing? Yes. Is it as good as the first? Unfortunately not. Will I see Part III? You bet!


Written and Posted by meeshmiami
Originally written on August 2, 2006
Posted to eBay August 25, 2007