Written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, and Stuart Beattie
Directed by Gore Verbinski

In the case of trilogies, they seem to follow the general pattern that the first movie is great, the second is okay, and the third goes back to being great. There are some who will argue that The Empire Strikes Back was the greatest of the three original Star Wars films; an opinion I don’t share. To me, it is still the weakest in a trilogy of three films that are all excellent regardless.

However, back to my original discussion about trilogies. My theory on why the second film is weak has to do with setting the series up for a spectacular finish. Second films are not usually self-contained as the first films are, and they usually feel the need to end with a cliff-hanger. Throw in a love triangle, and you’ve got it made. The exception to this was Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom which wasn’t that great, nonetheless.

After the first film, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was an unqualified success, there was no problem with selling the concept of two more films. In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, the three main actors are back: Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, and Kiera Knightly as the Governor’s daughter, Elizabeth Swann. Also returning are many supporting actors in their roles, so this truly feels like a sequel. At the same time, there are enough new characters on the canvas that it adds to the story rather than taking it over.

On the day of Will and Elizabeth’s wedding, both are arrested by Lord Beckett (portrayed by Tom Hollander) for helping Jack to escape. Will strikes a deal with Beckett to bring in Jack’s compass and then the two of them will be free.

Jack, meanwhile, has his own issues. After escaping a nefarious fate in quite an unusual manner (well, maybe not too unusual for him), he finds a key and goes off on a quest. One night after running out of rum (detect a theme here?), he meets with Bootstrap Bill Turner (portrayed by Stellan Skarsgard) as a representative of Davy Jones (portrayed by Bill Nighy). It seems that Jack once made a bargain with Jones years before, and now Jones has come to collect.

Will is searching for Jack and believes Elizabeth is languishing in prison back in Port Royal. He locates the Black Pearl and Jack while Elizabeth is busy making her escape from the prison on Port Royal. She also learns the truth behind Beckett and what he’s doing.

Of course, the three of them manage to run into each other and do battle against Jones in a variety of ways as well as dealing with a sea monster known as “The Kraken”. It’s fast-paced and has some intricate plot twists while taking viewers on a visual roller-coaster ride.

I really liked seeing so many of the old characters return, including some minor characters and many of Jack’s crew. The gaps left behind by the previous film are filled in with new characters. Some are better than others, and I found I liked Geoffrey Rush’s Captain Barbossa from the first film as a villain much more than the Nighy’s Davy Jones here. It’s not Nighy’s fault, I think it has something to do with the human qualities of the villain and how that works.

Johnny Depp makes the film as usual, and I think it’s pretty fair to say this franchise might not have gone far without him in the role of Captain Jack Sparrow. He’s got the cross between flamboyance and drunkenness down pat with the character, but this time Jack takes on a new dimension as the tension gets ratcheted up a bit between him and Elizabeth. His character also progresses during this time as well, making him more than just a one-note character.

Knightly really shines as Elizabeth. She’s strong and capable at a time when women were most definitely not expected to be. At times it would seem that she’s got more “Pirate blood” in her than Will does. She also has no problem using her sexuality to get what she wants at times, and this does serve to make Will a bit uncomfortable. It would seem the situation between them is love, but it also feels like there is an unresolved tension between them, possibly due to Elizabeth’s independent streak.

Bloom is fine as Will, although I thought he might have been a bit weak. Even with a good part of the story involving him and his relationship with his father as well as his own battles with Davy Jones, it didn’t feel like he grew as much as he could have. Perhaps some of the actions are just what I expected from the man who calls himself a pirate but generally seems to be too goody-goody for the title to truly take hold.

Where Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest really excels is in regard to the make-up and special effects department. If the curse that plagues Barbossa’s crew dazzled you in the last film, the effects here will bowl you over. Either way the look of Jones’ crew was achieved is a wonder, whether it was CGI, make-up, or some combination of both. They all seem to have taken on the look of various sea creatures with Jones appearing to have a head like an octopus, complete with tentacles hanging off. Another crewman looks like a hammerhead shark. Then there’s the Kraken sea creature which presents its own challenges and the effect here and what it does is incredible.

It did feel like the story dragged at times, and that’s a problem when you have a film that’s 2 ½ hours long. It felt 2 ½ hours long. Even watching it on DVD, I found myself checking my watch and pausing the film to do some things before coming back to it. I didn’t feel the need to sit and watch it all the way through without stopping but felt more like I needed a break before I was ready to wade through it. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t a fine film – it is. It’s just very long with a lot of different stories going on as well as setting up the next film in the trilogy.

I also felt like this one was a bit darker than the first one. While I had no problem letting my son see that one, he didn’t get a glimpse of this one in the theater. Even he was up and moving around while Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest was on our television screen, rather than watching it with rapt attention and imitating a pirate. That was fine with me.

The DVD comes with enough extras to definitely make it worth purchasing. I especially liked the features that involved Johnny Depp as he’s quite insightful and a pure joy to watch. The bloopers are also a lot of fun to watch and there are a few Easter Eggs to be found. Disney doesn’t cut corners with their DVD releases and this is definitely a film worth having in your collection. Although it’s weaker than the first film, and the pacing is not as good, it still makes for a great film overall.


SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Audio Commentary with Screenwriters Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
• Captain Jack from Head to Toe – Secrets and Legends revealed by Johnny Depp and others
• Meet Davy Jones: Discover the Creation, Mystery, and Mythology of the Sea’s Ghostly Ruler
• Bloopers of the Caribbean
• Mastering the Blade – Sword Fighting with the Film’s Stars
• Charting the Return – A Pre-Production Diary
• According to Plan – Journal of Filming the Movie
• Fly on the Set Featurette: The Bone Cage
• Creating the Kraken
• Dead Men Tell New Tales: Re-Imagineering the Attraction
• Pirates on Main Street: The World Premiere
• A Producer’s Photo Diary with Jerry Bruckheimer

Previous film in the series: