Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

When I mentioned going on a date with my wife to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, my mother was actually asking for a review before the date ever happened. Oh well, it’s not as if I couldn’t have predicted that it would be at least as good, if not better, than the first movie. Given that my wife and I have gone out to see all of two movies in the past year, I must say that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest did not disappoint.

All of the characters from the original Pirates of the Caribbean are back. I was surprised to see Commodore Norrington again, especially playing such a pivotal role in the story. They even managed to work Pintel and Ragetti, the two comic relief pirates from Barbosa’s crew, into the sequel.

Forget about the old favorites, though, because Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest has its own characters to introduce. Davy Jones and his crew are absolutely creepy. I recognized the cursed captain immediately as the actor Bill Nighy, the same guy who played Victor in Underworld. He certainly hasn’t lost his touch as an archvillain. And the introduction of William Turner, Will Turner’s father, is probably one of the greatest plot twists of the whole movie.

For all of its epic grandeur, I did find two minor problems with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. For one, the movie’s plot is incredibly complex and twisted. Really, with such an extensive list of main characters, this movie would require a diagram to explain properly. Some movie-goers, such as myself, really enjoy that sort of thing. Others who have a problem keeping track of the constantly shifting loyalties and motivations, however, may feel lost.

My other minor criticism lies in the comedy. Halfway through the movie, three of the main characters are engaged in a sword battle on an out-of-control mill wheel. This sort of thing is inventive and memorable, but tends to come off as a bit hokie. That’s not to say that sort of thing isn’t hilarious; Jack Sparrow on a spit-turned-shish kebob is absolutely priceless. Still, I felt it didn’t add as much to the movie as it might have if it weren’t so over-the-top.

Also, while not a criticism persay, I couldn’t help but feel frustrated at the end of the movie when much of the plot is left hanging. I don’t want to give away the ending, but suffice to say that this isn’t just a sequel; it’s the second part in a trilogy. Much like Lord of the Rings, expect a lot to be left unresolved until the next movie.

For what little I have to criticize, there are dozens of good reasons to go see this movie. I fully expect that it will win awards by the handful in categories across the board. Acting, drama, music, you name it and this movie rocks. It easily gets five stars in my book. If you haven’t seen it, make the time; you won’t be disappointed.

This entry was posted on Friday, July 21st, 2006 at 5:45 am and is filed under Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.