Review
Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest does the right thing as a sequel It maintains the same carefree spirit of the original and creates an even more fitting story to the whole Pirates lore. After narrowly escaping the gallowswith the help of his friends Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley)and reclaiming his cursed Black Pearl it still seems Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) has a few more fish to fry. More specifically the barnacleencrusted undead on board the ghostly Flying Dutchman lead by Mr. Octopus Face himself Davy Jones (Bill Nighy). Jack apparently owes a blood debt to the inky captain and if he can't find a way out of itnamely locating the secret contents of Jones' famed lockerSparrow will be doomed to eternal damnation and servitude in the afterlife (insert Jack Sparrow's face of disgust here). Making matters worse Sparrow's problems manage to interfere with the wedding plans of Will and Elizabeth who are forced to join Jack on yet another one of his misadventures.
Depp's Oscarnominated performance as Captain Jack is still a marvel in slovenly pirate behavior with his slurred speech swaying swagger and slack waving arms. But whether channeling famed Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards or not it's the duality of the character that continues to intrigue us. He is a lusty fearless man with a deeply defiant and somewhat sneaky streak but whose delicate features long dread locked hair Kohlrimmed eyes and almost girly mannerisms give him a subtly effeminate air that belies his macho antics. This time around young Brits Knightley and Bloom have a little more to do with Elizabeth's growing attraction to Jack and Will's reunion with his father Bill "Bootstrap" Turner (Stellan Skarsgård) who's soul is stuck on the Flying Dutchman. And Nighy (Love Actually) once again makes his mark as an effective villain infusing his rather quirky acting ticksthe laconic delivery the laidback attitudewhich shines through all the special effects makeup. Let's just say Nighy certainly rivals Depp in the arrogant rock star stance even if he has tentacles for a face.
The other thing Dead Man's Chest does right is make things bigger and better. From a hairraising sword fight on top of a spinning water wheel to the way Davy Jones and his crew lookall water logged and crustaceanlikethe film's production value is simply amazing. Returning producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski make sure the action sequences the sets the costumes the makeup and the special effects give the audience a familiarity to the original while also taking them on a whole new adventure. And if you are a fan of the Disney park attraction (the one at Disneyland not Disney World) the elements that got missed in the first onethe creepy bayou the beating heart in the treasure chestare in this sequel. Dead Man's Chest does lag a bit from time to time especially in heating up the Jack Elizabeth and Will love triangle. But that's OK. We enjoy watching their banter as much as we do the rest of it. And for those who'll want more adventure after the movie ends Dead Man's Chest gives us a promise the third installment will be just as much pirate fun.
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