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PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST
Special effects, great stunts, decent acting, but will
a real story please stand up?
PopcornReel.com Film Review: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
By Omar P.L. Moore/July 7, 2006
Gore Verbinski tries his hardest to avoid the
sophomore jinx that hits many film sequels and he largely succeeds with "Pirates
of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest", which opens today in North America.
Unfortunately, the story is the weakest point of this occasionally confusing
film, which starts off slowly and in an uninspired fashion. The phenomenal
action sequences (some of which seem borrowed from the pages of the great action
film "Raiders of the Lost Ark") are about the only thing that keeps this second
"Pirates" film afloat. Some good acting from relative newcomer Naomie
Harris (pictured above at the top) also keeps things intriguing. Ms.
Harris, a British actor, was memorable in the film "28 Days Later," and in three
weeks she will be on the big screen again in "Miami Vice" alongside Jamie Foxx
and Colin Farrell.
The haunted ship called The Black Pearl (which was the subject of the first
film) has been retrieved by colleagues and associates of one Captain Jack
Sparrow (Johnny Depp) who is caught up in a sticky situation of his own when we
see him early on in the film. Mr. Depp, Oscar-nominated for his
performance in the 2003 original film is again entertaining by himself here, but
he restrains himself a little more this time. Keira Knightley (as
Elizabeth) and Orlando Bloom (Will), who get the lion's share of the film's
screen time, are about to get married when the film starts and you just know
that the ceremony isn't going to go off without a hitch. Before long, Will
has to get Sparrow's compass if he is to prevent the jailed Elizabeth from being
sentenced to death for helping pirates, a treasonous offence. The story
dissolves soon after this and the terrific visual effects, energetic action
sequences and great stunt work takes over. While a coherent story would be
nice, by the second half of the movie it is clear that the action and the comedy
are the story.
The only thing that is clear is that there is a sinister vagabond named Davy
Jones, a "dead head" who legend has it, is missing his heart, which is coveted
by no less than five people including Captain Sparrow. For quite a while
however, it was unclear to this reviewer who Davy Jones (played by actor Bill
Nighy) was or looked like in the film, until a few days after this
film was screened. Hopefully it will take you less time than it took this
reviewer to figure it out so a picture of Jones will have to be one you imagine
before you guess who he is in the film. Apparently Sparrow has a debt to
pay Jones. The confusion, further onset by the multiple threads of
subplots and storylines make following "Dead Man's Chest" more of a chore than
an adventure.
Still, there are three things to take away from Mr. Verbinski's second film: One
-- Ms. Knightley has a greater, more pivotal role in the film; two -- there are
thrilling stunts and some terrific production design; three -- there are some
occasionally good one-liners. Mr. Verbinski has some fun with eyes --
which appears to be a theme which runs through this second film. With your
own eyes you will be able to see for yourself what I am referring to. The
eyes are definitely the windows to the soul, and this is not lost on Mr.
Verbinski or his make-up crew, headed up by Bryan Birge, Martha Callender and
John Blake. They come up with some amazing make-up (for example Stellan
Skarsgard is unrecognizable as Bootstrap Bill). Hans Zimmer's music livens
up some of the more formulaic onscreen moments. Ted Elliott and Terry
Rosario wrote this film, which was originally based on an amusement park ride.
They, along with the director are sure to strike gold at the worldwide box
office, but the story itself isn't worth its weight in gold.
Like the first "Pirates", the length of the film is its downfall.
At two hours and 30-odd minutes, at least 30 minutes could have been shorn from
its reel. Even before we get to the end of the film we know that a third
film is coming -- in fact it is being filmed now (or soon) and everyone in this
film still left alive will return, including an old friend, who is briefly
glimpsed during "Dead Man's Chest." The one other good thing about this
film is that there is more than enough left open to make "Pirates" fans on the
edge of their seats, craving for more.
The film does make for riveting entertainment despite its length and lack of
clear and articulate story, and it is good enough to merit a trip to the theater
to look at this busy, bustling spectacle.
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