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Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

DVD Cover (Walt Disney Studios)
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Overall Rating 73%
Overall Rating
Ranked #152
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Once again we're plunged into the world of sword fights and "savvy" pirates. Captain Jack Sparrow is reminded he owes a debt to Davy Jones, who captains the flying Dutchman, a ghostly ship, with a crew from hell. Facing the "locker" Jack must find the heart of Davy Jones but to save himself he must get the help of quick-witted Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan. If that's not complicated enough, Will and Elizabeth are sentenced to hang, unless Will can get Lord Cutler Beckett Jack's compass. Will is forced to join another crazy adventure with Jack. --IMDb
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Review by bluemeanie
Added: July 8, 2006
Captain Jack is back, and better than ever! When I first heard that Disney and Gore Verbinski were planning two sequels to the successful first film, images of "The Matrix" started dancing in my hands, for this was once again a case where I felt like one film would have sufficed. However, after sitting through all 150 minutes of pirates and rum and chests and corpses, I must say that this is not following the same route as the aforementioned trilogy. "Pirates of the Caribbean" is as fresh as it was in the original, with some incredible performances, some unbelievable special effects, and enough action and intrigue to carry even the most attention-deprived audience members through until the very end. "Dead Man's Chest" is the finest Summer entry thus far, and the ending leaves us desperate for the third installment, though I don't expect to see it any time before 2008. Disney has yet another monster hit on its hands, and director Gore Verbinski yet another notch in his belt.

Reprising his role from the original film, Johnny Depp stars as Captain Jack Sparrow, the dirtiest, most untrustworthy, seediest pirate on the seven seas. The film opens with Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) being arrested by Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) of the East India Trading Company for assisting in Jack's escape. They are sentenced to face the gallows unless Will can track down Jack and get his compass from him. So, Will takes off in search of Jack, as does Elizabeth. Jack is busy with his own problems, owing a debt to the dreaded Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), who will stop at nothing to get the souls he needs. So, Will is after the compass, Jack is after a chest, Elizabeth is after Will, Beckett is after a still beating heart, and everyone else is either after fortune or fame or a combination of the two. That is the composition of "Dead Man's Chest" and it really isn't complicated to follow. Stellan Skarsgard co-stars as Bootstrap Bill Turner, Will's father, who finds himself held captive on the Flying Dutchman's vessel. Jack Davenport also returns as Norrington, the former love of Elizabeth, and former Commodore. "Dead Man's Chest" sizzles with plot twists and action sequences to boggle the mind. This film defines Summer.

In terms of matching up with the original, there is no comparison. This sequel has more action, more wit, more intrigue, and bigger, bigger, bigger everything. It looks like Disney gave Gore Verbinski freedom to make whatever film he wanted, and he certainly did not disappoint. "Dead Man's Chest" just looks incredible, from the set design and the art direction to the costumes and and brilliant cinematography. I loved the scenes on Davy Jones' ship, especially when he is playing his organ with the lightning crashing all around him. And, speaking of Davy Jones, Bill Nighy delivers one of the best supporting performances of the year in the role. He makes Davy Jones entirely separate from the special effects that were used to create him. Bill Nighy turns him into a formidable villain and still manages to capture a little of the romantic vulnerability. Johnny Depp is back in fashion, as always, and delivers yet another stellar performance as Captain Jack. He makes the character far more unlikable here, yet we still do and probably always will. Orlando Bloom brings his puppy eyes back once more and does what he always does as Will Turner, as does Keira Knightley. Both Bloom and Knightley are male and female versions of one another. The highlight of the film for me, however, came in the last minute and a half of the film, with everyone gathered at the voodoo lady's house and a special guest walking down the stairs to greet them - unexpected and fantastic.

Unlike "Superman Returns", I did not have a problem with the two and a half hour running time of this film. Why? Because it all seemed necessary. There wasn't a single scene in "Dead Man's Chest" that I would have wanted to see stricken from the film. I think such a lengthy run time is all right, as long as the director can keep you thoroughly entertained, and Verbinski certainly managed to pull that off nicely. Just when you would think there would be a little lull in the action, you would suddenly see octopus tentacles in the background or cannibals charging towards someone. But, these scenes came with the tongue-in-cheek nature of the franchise. I was also surprised at how mature this film was, compared to the original. I know this is a Disney film, but the PG-13 rating was certainly earned and should be taken into consideration when deciding on the appropriate age for children planning to attend the film. Lots of blood and lots of pretty violent attack sequences.

Thank God for this film being enjoyable. I was so scared that Captain Jack was going to turn into just another Neo. I was so scared that Verbinski was going to rely on special effects more than an actual, coherent story. And, while the special effects are bigger than life, the story is compelling and humorous and interesting enough to not detract. "Dead Man's Chest" is better than the original by leaps and bounds and really shows that this is a franchise that has a lot of steam left in it. I cannot wait for the third film and cannot wait to see how that surprise visitor at the end of the second film comes into play. "Dead Man's Chest" is the best film of the Summer, and one of my very favorite films of the year, very much like the original was when it was released. It is so rare when a Summer blockbuster like this can deliver the total package, but this is one of those occurrences. "Dead Man's Chest" is going to plunder hundreds of millions of dollars, and it deserves every gold coin.

10/10.
BuryMeAlive #1: BuryMeAlive - added July 14, 2006 at 1:21pm
Not bad, but not as good as the first, and I didn't like the ending.
Chad #2: Chad - added June 1, 2007 at 11:31pm
"Dead Man's Chest" is better than the original by leaps and bounds and really shows that this is a franchise that has a lot of steam left in it. I cannot wait for the third film and cannot wait to see how that surprise visitor at the end of the second film comes into play.

My thoughts exactly. 9/10.
Nirrad #3: Nirrad - added August 17, 2008 at 2:23pm
Wow! At first I thought the first was better, but when it reached the final act my opinion changed. And that ending was fantastic, so epic! I'm so pumped for the third one now! 10/10
Lucid Dreams #4: Lucid Dreams - added July 17, 2010 at 3:17pm
I love how people complained about this movie even when they knew it was part one of a two part story. Why would they make it a happy ending and not leave you hanging wanting you to watch the next one? 9/10
AttnDefDis #5: AttnDefDis - added August 4, 2010 at 11:00pm
I didn't know it was part 1 of 2 when I saw it. I was pissed. I mean I love Johnny Depp and all, but why the fuck was this movie like three hours long just to have a massive cliffhanger. Really disappointing.
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