Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

'Pirate Man's Treasure'

Everyone I know despises this movie and detests it, so with that in mind I realize that this will probably be the review where people stop listening to me. I loved it. Seriously, the first movie, The Black Pearl seemed more like an exercise in egotism basing a bad plotline off of a Disney ride. In this movie though, Gore Verbinski defies the odds of a Bruckheimer film and actually makes a good pirate film. Let me explain...

In the first movie, yes it had some amusing funny bits and it was a Disney movie for kids etc etc. The only truly outstanding part of the first movie was Johnny Depp's characterization of Jack Sparrow. Well, Jack Sparrow has drawn everyone back to the box office and is no longer a welcome surprise. He is still loved by all, but his acting is no longer a surprise and is expected to be this good. The big difference this voyage out is that Verbinski makes this movie about something and it is no longer suitable for children...well it is, but not really. Then there is the fact that it engulfs as much pirate lore as possible with everything from Kraken to the black spot tradition. Sure, some of the traditions are altered, and the plot does kind of get wonky sometimes, but for the most part it recreates a mythology of pirates that has been perpetuated by film, literature, and even by sailor journals over time. I find this aspect of the movie totally fascinating and I love seeing Davy Jones as a pirate. Now the whole Flying Dutchman thing is kind of annoying because The Black Pearl in the first movie was obviously based off of the Flying Dutchman, but oh well. I feel that the exotic nature of the film with the Barbados woman and fun islands and locales mixed with the dearth of pirate lore and legend creates a fascinating adventure worthy of a blockbuster hit. It was fun. The real problem comes with some of the actors and the annoying plot points that are never explained well.

When polling most people as to why they disliked the movie, the majority said it was too complex with too many plot points and it didn't make sense. Plus they felt that the overwhelming amount of stuff was bad and just too much of an attempt to try and earn some cash for Disney. Then there was the attacks on the actors with Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightely being called hacks. Some complained because it wasn't a children's movie anymore which I found highly amusing since these weren't children complaining. Then there was the most popular hatred focused on the ending of the film. People apparently HATE it when movies just end without tying up plot points just because they have already made or are working on a sequel to fill it in. The one exception is Lord of The Rings where most of the people who accepted it did so because they realized that each installment was part of an elongated trilogy that were intricately tied together. There were no popular book trilogies to support The Matrix films nor the Pirates of the Caribbean films. And while I can understand that perception, people should try to be a bit more understanding of what is trying to be done. I would have liked to see a six hour film instead of two individual films but each film has its own flavor and things happening in it as will be obvious once I review the third film. This film's focus was on the world of piracy and the adventures of Jack Sparrow. I think most people disliked this film because of a messup in expectations. They went in expecting it to be an entire movie devoted to Jack Sparrow with a ridiculously easy plot to follow and instead found a movie about pirates, requiring knowledge of pirate lore just to understand what was happening and very complex multiple storylines involving almost every character from the first movie. Also, it doesn't wrap up and end...this is my guess as to why people despise this film.

As for what this film is about, it's about the loss of mythology and magic in a world where everything is mapped, charted, and found. It's about the pirates versus those who would make everything normal and boring again with cruise ships and the like. It's the first half of an incredibly long film about the world as it was when it was becoming less interesting and more "civilized" with the bad guy Becket representing the evil side of "civilization". If you go and watch these films, you learn this fairly quick. It is much more obvious in the third film, but it is still present in the second. As for plot though, well...it has hiccups. The beginning of the movie starts with some sort of deal between Davy Jones and Jack Sparrow that no one from the first film ever knew or heard of, so it is kind of irksome and out of left field. But if you can just sort of muscle through the premise which makes little to no sense compared to the ending of the first movie, then you can follow along with the winding tale of treachery and pirate backstabbing that is the second film. I especially enjoy the dichotomy of former Commodore Norrington's character. Sure, you have to pay close attention because some details get explained away in quick flippant lines, but the explanations are all their and the movie does a decent job of reiterating what has happened several times in an attempt to help out the younger ones. Although the most baffling part to me is that of the undead monkey...i thought that was fixed in the first film? The biggest fault between these movies is that Gore and the writers do a terrible job of explaining what happened in between stories. The ending is also really rough as Sparrow dies in an epic fight with the Kraken and then Barbosa is re-introduced...and not really explained. Although I did enjoy the meeting and explanation of Bootstrap Bill. The plot is so huge and epic that it fits the crazyness of the lore and pirate world in which the movie is thrust. The problem comes in that of the lovers. I'm sorry, but Bloom and Knightly rarely ever make me think they have any talent. They show that they can play the Romeo & Juliet bits well as the star crossed lovers who are destined to never get a moments rest...but really, they need to learn to add some interest to their characters outside of the story arcs twists and turns. God knows Depp did by simply leaning and waving about in an effete manner. Also, the ridiculous lengths to which the script goes to keep certain characters from the first film involved is kind of bizarre, but oh well. It's a Bruckheimer produced film. It's lucky that he even allowed Verbinski to make it about something.

Conclusion:
The acting is eh except for Depp and Nighy as Davy Jones. The story is massive and complex but a lot of fun if you are a fan of pirate mythology and lore. It's too bad it doesn't have a suitable resolution to help this film stand on its own. The CGI is impressive and the exoticism makes this film a very fun ride indeed. It's a little more adult oriented as a pirate film should be and there are still several great laugh moments. My real concern is that this time out the entire crew seems to have a wink in their eye everytime a joke occurs, especially that guy who plays the first mate for Depp's character. It's a bit hammy sir, just a bit. Besides that I congratulate Mr. Verbinski on making a fairly fun and enjoyable pirate movie for intelligent beings that would also like to see a blockbuster occassionally without feeling talked down to.

4.4 out of 5

Wannabe