Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Action, humor, special effects

Cons: Length, ending leaves too many loose threads

The Bottom Line:

Action, comedy

Be ready with the sequel

Fun but over long




"Why is the Rum Always Gone?"

It's not the wedding day that Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) planned. Instead of tying the knot, they find themselves in jail for helping Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) escape. Now, in order to free them both, Will must find Captain Jack and bring his compass back to Port Royal.

Captain Jack is facing his own problems, however. Seems thirteen years ago, he sold his soul to Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), and Davy is ready to collect. Jack isn't willing to surrender without a fight, however. If he can collect Davy Jones' Locker, he just might be able to free himself from his commitment. And Will's appearance is just what Jack needs.

Elizabeth, meanwhile, isn't going to sit around and wait for Will to return. First chance she gets, she escapes and takes matters into her own hands. Unfortunately, that just leads her directly into danger.

The first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was a surprise hit in 2003, and this one lives up to the original in all the important areas. The cast is back, including some of the minor characters from the first one, and they all do an excellent job with the material. More importantly, the tongue in cheek humor and one-liners are still present. I found myself laughing out loud multiple times during the course of the movie when I wasn't being creeped out by the scary aspects of the story. The actions scenes are fun. I especially enjoyed the three-way sword fight. And the special effects are incredible. There have been major advances during the last three years, and the movie uses them to create even more seamless creatures, including our villain Davy Jones. There is a sea creature that appears multiple times, and his scenes are especially impressive. Finally, there are several more blink and you miss them references to the ride the movie is based on sure to please fans.

The movie does have a couple drawbacks, however. The first is the length. At two and a half hours, it is long. Most of the time is put to good use, but there are a few times when the movie seems to drag. The bigger flaw however, deals with the story. It's the middle part of a trilogy, it knows it, and it's a little too obvious to the rest of us. While I expected a cliffhanger, I thought that at least the end of the movie would tie up some plot threads. Very few things are truly resolved, making next year's third film really a continuation of this one instead of a true sequel. As a result, this one feels more incomplete when all is said and done.

Like the first movie, this one involves ghosts and other scary creatures. It also includes several brief disgusting scenes. While based on a Disneyland ride, it might be too scary for young children. I know I wouldn't have enjoyed it as a child.

While the ending weakens Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, it is still a fun story. You can bet I will see it again, and I'm already planning my chance to see the third movie when it comes out.