Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

What can I say? I love pirates. I love them even more than I love ninja. And I love them a helluva lot more than cowboys.

The much-anticipated POTC:DMC was not a disapointment to me. I loved the first one and to see the characters back swashbuckling it up was a real treat. Director Gore Verbinski really handles this franchise well. He knows the characters to the smallest detail and, like all his movies, the sets and cinematography is beautiful.

It is important to remember that this movie was filmed back to back with the Pirates 3 with the intention of a fluid story between the two. Pirates 2 & 3 are actually one movie, such as the last two Matrix movies or the Lord of the Rings trilogy. So don’t be surprised when it seems like there are way too many plot lines or twists in the story. And don’t be surprised when you reach the two and a half hour mark and the end is nowhere in sight.

The story is very well written, with most of the plot lines spinning directly out of the first movie. Which makes me wonder if they had this all planned from the beginning. Jack Sparrow is in debt with the dreaded Davy Jones (Bill Knighy) and is finding that his past (and Davy Jones) is catching up with him. Meanwhile, on Will and Elizibeth’s wedding day they are arrested for treason and sentanced to death. Somehow, all of the cast of the original movie is reunited and try to help each other with their various problems.

The special effects, both digital and make-up, on Davy Jones and his crew are spectacular. In an age of computer graphic dependant movies, it is nice to see Verbinski opt to go for make-up on characters and only using CG to slightly enhance details.

There are two things I didn’t like about this movie: All of the funny lines from the first movie are reused in this one. Keep the originality that made the first one unique, for crying out loud! We already know those lines are funny! There is no need to remind us! And second, I can’t believe that I have to wait a whole year to find out what happens next! It’s worse than watching 24!

Most people were bashing this movie because they didn’t feel that Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow was given enough screen time and that the story was way too Will Turner focused. There are two arguments to be made about this. First, This is only the first half of the story and the plot has been set up to give Jack a lot more of the focus in the second half. Second, keep in mind that the first movie was all about Will Turner and not about Jack. The plot of the first film was the journey of self-realization for Will. Jack was a player in Will journey but he was not the focus of the plot. It just so happens that Depp’s brilliant performance stole the show.

Anyway, the movie is great and I can’t wait to see Jack and the crew sail to the edge of the world in order to repay Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean: World’s End!