Overall Rating
  Awesome: 16.4%
Worth A Look: 31.22%
Average: 20.63%
Pretty Bad: 19.58%
Total Crap: 12.17%
14 reviews, 105 user ratings
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| Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest |
by William Goss
"Rich Man's Excess"
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A long time ago on an island far, far away, a pair of lovers found themselves entangled in the epic adventures of a rogue individual on the high seas. They ended hitting the jackpot in Hollywood, where their exploits raked in over $650 million worldwide. Sure enough, not one but two sequels were in store, to be shot back-to-back as had been the trend with recent trilogies. As such, 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest' has been completed, and while it makes for a pretty good movie, it is only part of a possibly great story.For this round, the plot concerns a series of overlapping ultimatums, as Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) is persuaded into pursuing Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) for his distinctive compass, in order to save his neck and that of his fiancée, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). However, Jack’s priorities lie with tracking down a key that opens the titular chest of Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), to whom Jack owes his soul. From here, the big old hectic treasure hunt is underway, becoming increasingly convoluted as various parties chart a path across the seas that would put “The Family Circus” to shame, and several dilemmas and developments come together and eventually evoke the likes of some solid sequels, including The Empire Strikes Back, The Matrix Reloaded, and Big Momma’s House 2.
By this point, one has grown accustomed to the novelty of Depp’s performance, and while neither wearying nor particularly impressive, he manages to settle on a level of familiarity suited for the story and its fans. With somewhat meatier roles, Knightley and Bloom certainly hold their own better than expected, and the supporting regulars return with solid marks all around. As Will’s long-lost father, Stellan Skarsgard conveys years of sorrow and suffering without minding the makeup, and Naomi Harris makes quite an impression as Tia Dalma, a voodoo priestess and former lover of Jack’s. However, most worthy of note is Nighy’s role as Jones, bringing to life a vivid villain underneath the latest in motion-capture technology. Despite the undoubtedly outstanding effects used to bring his squid-like sailor to life, his performance shines past his digital tentacles as both the tormented and the tormenter, captain of a submersible organic ship, with sails of kelp and a crew of the damned, all of which resemble various aquatic flora and fauna, from coral reef to hammerhead. The near opposite could be said of the bland bureaucratic baddies from the East India Trading Company, led by Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander), a man who can demand without ever quite commanding as James Norrington (Jack Davenport) did, who himself returns with a greater degree of resentment for Sparrow.
Hints of sequelitis seem to lurk along the periphery, yet the film maintains a rather remarkable consistency in both character and demeanor with its predecessor, despite a repetitive streak that seems to get the best of its lengthy running time. The earliest action sequence, an ultimately unnecessary detour to a cannibal colony, provides some amusing slapstick, as well as the first of two large-objects-rolling-down-hills-with-people-inside stunts. (The latter bit, a three-way swordfighting spectacle within and atop a runaway waterwheel, proves to be the superior set piece.) The legendary kraken rises from the depths to take down a ship or three during a few glossy yet familiar incidents, Tia Dalma gets visited twice, and even the moments where characters chat as they lean over the railing and stare out to sea come across as redundant throughout the bloated 150-plus minutes. Even startling eleventh-hour developments come in a pair, as two climactic actions, one selfish and one selfless, go against the predetermined natures of the characters, yet feel all too justified in terms of the story and their growth. Returning director Gore Verbinski and writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio don't skimp on the action, the humor, the scope, and the story, but moments like these suggest that maybe they've laid the fun on a bit too thick, too distracted by the flashiness of it all to remember how to keep matters lean. Then again, it only seems appropriate that one of the few flaws of the first film be repeated to a bigger degree, and not necessarily a better one.
Combined with a rather peculiar male/female dichotomy, the whole nature of this production would appear to be best reflected when one character refers to the dark side of ambition, while another instead calls it the promise of redemption. The filmmakers have failed to rein in some of their more excessive habits, yet there is enough entertainment value and plot potential here to remedy these stumbles and deliver in grand fashion come next Memorial Day, when one hopes the resulting finale may be just a bit more buoyant overall than this exposition-heavy entry, despite the tremendous special effects, humorous lines, and the occasional inside joke. As if to seal the deal, the tempting cliffhanger seems to suggest that worthy follow-through on the filmmakers’ behalf is possible, maybe even probable, yet never promised (see: The Matrix Revolutions, Return of the Jedi). If it sounds like I’m picking on Chest, I feel I should clarify, for I do find it to be a rather enjoyable, if mildly weary, summer diversion that happens to be wedged into greater, more critical circumstances by its very blockbuster trappings.The work of the cast and crew throughout alternates between the relentless, the seamless, and the effortless, although rarely ever forming a steady fusion of all three. Verbinski and company will have to craft the conclusion by not only regaining the even keel of the first film, but also amplifying it so as to pay off such extravagant arrangements in spades with greater discipline and equal enthusiasm to that of the second. However, until that final installment arrives, this one will have to stand as the relatively sturdy start of a five-hour swashbuckling epic, if not a moderate middle to a grander trilogy.
link directly to this review at https://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=14738&reviewer=409
originally posted: 07/09/06 23:03:17
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USA
07-Jul-2006 (PG-13)
DVD: 05-Dec-2006
UK
06-Jul-2006 (12A)
Australia
06-Jul-2006 (M)
![[trailer]](/images/icon/trailericon.gif) Trailer
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