Movie Reviews
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” succeeds on more levels than the original did for a number of reasons. “Curse of the Black Pearl” had some amazing, iconic (or iconoclastic depending on who you are) battle sequences, but a good percentage of them had a key ingredient that warranted them – for lack of a euphemism – pointless. I mean, until the curse was broken, the sailors of the Black Pearl were immortal. What was the point of fighting them? They couldn’t die.
“Dead Man’s Chest” serves up a lot of illogical, seemingly-pointless action sequences as well, but they play as comedy most of the time, not as plot. Almost like a scene from a Marx Brothers’ movie. Each action piece is a layer that has been added to another layer, and it all adds up to a wide shot, framing all the layers together to parade the skills of the filmmakers and effects artists.
And indeed the action is exhilarating.
The story goes that Davy Jones has the key to a chest with his beating heart in it. Those who possess the heart possess the power to summon the ocean deep’s greatest menace – the Cracken, and to control Jones himself. But alas, the chest has been lost and Davy Jones is set to find it with the help of his crew, which include some of the grossest cinema creatures I’ve ever seen. And real too.
Here again, Johnny Depp pristinely revises his Oscar-nominated performance as Captain Jack Sparrow. Sparrow remains genuine – a character that perhaps thinks more than we think he does, and feels more than we feel does. Depp is very good at hinting alternative emotions to Sparrow.
And we are fortunate enough to have all the original cast and major crew members return for the sequel. We get a sense of style continuity, which is probably Gore Verbinski’s greatest contribution to these films. Verbinski possesses the rare ability to make his films thrive on feeling alone. Luckily enough, the story and relationships in “Dead Man’s Chest” are dreary and complex enough to give us surprises around every sinking ship and rolling water mill.
Set against this backdrop of mammoth sea battles and topsy-turvy sword fights are characters that I think will become part of the pop culture lexicon, just as Luke Skywalker did and Harry Potter has. To be maybe too honest, Jack Sparrow is one of the most memorable movie characters of the last decade. And much of the film’s overwhelming wit and humor is because Depp can deliver.
Maybe writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot indulge in too many characters. Undeniably, the duo has a knack for writing strange and memorable characters, but there are too many of them. The transition from “Black Pearl” to “Dead Man’s Chest” leaves us with character’s whose past and present don’t connect convincingly. And not only this, but the story of “Pirates II” is too severed from “Pirates I.” “Curse of the Black Pearl” left us with characters unfulfilled, yes, but the film could’ve stood singularly. “Dead Man’s Chest” was made at the same time as “Pirates III” and I think that knowledge partitions the latter two “Pirates” movies from the original too much. It left a lot of untied strings for Rossio and Elliot to retie.
I really, really, really dug the final moments of “Dead Man’s Chest.” It leaves us asking a lot of questions and raising interesting possibilities about the mythology of the “Pirates” world. And best of all, a favorite is returning. *** ˝