Click a Poster to Purchase
 |  | Get Showtimes... |
Review #176 of 365
Film: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest [PG-13] 150 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $14.25
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavillions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 7 July 2006
Time: 11:15 p.m.
Review Dedicated to: Alexander B. 'The Metroninian' of Chicago, IL
Soundtrack: Sample and Download the Hans Zimmer soundtrack from 
Official Pirates of the Caribbean Movie Merchandise: Shop at Disneyshopping.com for great toys and collectibles
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Note: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest will be reviewed in three parts each day this weekend. Part 1 will cover the whole movie stem to stern, Part 2 will focus on Johnny Depp's performance as Captain Jack Sparrow and a bit on his career and contributions to the profession, and Part 3 will focus on the special effects and technology.
Part 1 of 3
I'll never forget when I first heard that, seemingly out of a loss for new ideas and material for movie scripts, Disney, Inc. executives had suggested that some of the theme park rides might serve as good m fodder. The Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion had been earmarked as the first candidates. I scratched my head and thought, "Pirates of the Caribbean? That's not even one of my favorite rides. What's next? It's A Small World?" So, it was with some befuddlement and definite curiosity that I journeyed to see the efforts of these two ideas. One of the pair turned out to be a box office smash; while the other, as you may recall, despite starring Eddie Murphy, was a near disaster. And so began what will now be known as the Pirate Trilogy. What? You didn't know they have already begun work on the third film to be known as Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End? Well, they have, and from the looks of it, it will be more of a Part 2 to Dead Man's Chest than a true third part of a trilogy. Nonetheless, with the same cast, director, and writers, there is no possible way to avoid looking forward to the film, though I did not mean to distract you from thinking about the second film.
"…Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest will be THE hit of the summer appealing to audiences of all ages with a frolicking, daring, Jolly Roger spirit."
What really makes these Pirate movies work is that the writers really dug deeply into the mythology, legend, and actual history of their subject matter. Hence, the films fully are steeped from stem to stern with terminology, lore, and references that make for a very complete, inside-joke laden, historically interesting, cinematic experience. There is so much material with which to work that if you thrown in great characters, great actors, great plotting, great directing, and great special effects, you are bound to produce a very good movie. And, director Gore Verbinski has done just that under the watchful eye, no doubt, of producer Jerry "Everything he touches turns to gold" Bruckheimer. The film begins just as Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) are about to be married. They are arrested and ultimately blackmailed into seeking out Captain Jack Sparrow. Meanwhile, Jack has come across some new trouble of his own. It's not the ghost ship of Cap't Barabarosa who wants his bones this time, no, this time it's Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) who's after his very soul. In recent memory, I can recall no villain so thoroughly interesting in a summer blockbuster film than this realization of Davy Jones and his wiggling, tentacle-ensnaring beard. In fact, he and his crew of undead, long-lived, 'enhanced' men were ingeniously created and spectacular to watch. Ultimately, without giving away any more of this deliriously hilarious, inventive, slightly romantic, raucous, adventurous plot, the story then has everyone out looking for two things: a particular treasure chest and its key. Unlocking the chest will be the solution to saving Sparrow from Jones and reuniting Turner and Swann. Standing between them are The East Indian Trading company which hopes to rule the sea using the contents of the chest and Davy Jones himself who does not want the chest falling into the wrong hands.
The film was rousing good fun, worth being seen again and again, with only two exceptions. The first was that it seems once everyone knew there would be a third film, there became less pressure to really finish the story of this one off. At two hours and twenty minutes, one would think one would reach the end. Instead, you will have reached the end of the chapter not the book. So, yes, I am sorry to report, the ending will bear some resemblance to the endings of Matrix 2 and Kill Bill Vol. 1. Second, there was something a little off this time with our 'hero' Cap'n Jack Sparrow. But, I'll save that for tomorrow, as the entire review will be devoted to Johnny Depp and his portrayal of the Captain. At the mid-point of the summer holiday blockbuster season, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest will be THE hit of the summer appealing to audiences of all ages (it's PG-13 with some mildly scary scenes but, in my opinion, nothing scarier that we saw in Over the Hedge) with a frolicking, daring, Jolly Roger spirit.
The film was rousing good fun, worth being seen again and again, with only two exceptions. The first was that it seems once everyone knew there would be a third film, there became less pressure to really finish the story of this one off. At two hours and twenty minutes, one would think one would reach the end. Instead, you will have reached the end of the chapter not the book. So, yes, I am sorry to report, the ending will bear some resemblance to the endings of Matrix 2 and Kill Bill Vol. 1. Second, there was something a little off this time with our 'hero' Cap'n Jack Sparrow. But, I'll save that for tomorrow, as the entire review will be devoted to Johnny Depp and his portrayal of the Captain. At the mid-point of the summer holiday blockbuster season, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest will be THE hit of the summer appealing to audiences of all ages (it's PG-13 with some mildly scary scenes but, in my opinion, nothing scarier that we saw in Over the Hedge) with a frolicking, daring, Jolly Roger spirit.
Back to Top | W.I.P. Scale™ | Most Recently Reviewed Films | Films of 2005 | Films of 2006 | movieEVERYday.com movieMARKETplace™
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Movies Starring: Johnny Depp• Orlando Bloom • Keira Knightley
Movies Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Pirates of the Caribbean: Toys and Games • Apparel & Accessories
Books • Computer and Video Games
| The Book | CD Soundtrack | DVD |
| VHS | The Cereal | Board Game |
Review-lite [150-word cap]
Who would have thought the Disneyland ride, "Pirates of the Caribbean" would spawn a trilogy of fantastic films? [That's right, trilogy! Production for Pirates 3 has already begun.] Director Gore Verbinski took this script steeped from stem to stern with mythology of Pirates and created an historically interesting film with great characters, actors, story, and special effects. You are bound to entertained. The film begins just as Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) are about to marry. They are arrested and ultimately blackmailed into seeking out Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). Meanwhile, Jack has stumbled across new trouble of his own as Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) is after his very soul. Only unlocking the Dead Man's Chest can save him and reunite Swann and Turner. Dead Man's Chest will be THE hit of the summer appealing to audiences of all ages with a frolicking, daring, Jolly Roger spirit.
No comments:
Post a Comment