Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Seen 9 July 2006 at AMC Fenway 13
* * * * (out of 5)
Dead Man's Chest had a big pair of shoes to fill. Somehow, the memory of the first film proves to be both a blessing and curse for Ol' Captain Jack Sparrow and gang. This is a film that really wants to exist on its own, but demands made by the bookends of the series dictate a little too much for the middle child. Still, it's very entertaining for 3/4ths of the running time, and it made me want the third installment out now. I say mission accomplished.
As we return to the Caribbean, we find the ruins of Elizabeth (Keira Knightly) and Will's (Orlando Bloom) wedding. A new meanie has entered town in the form of Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander), an official for the East India Trading Company, infamous for branding any pirates they happen to run into. Beckett tells Will that both he and Elizabeth have death sentences for assisting in Captain Jack Sparrow's (Johnny Depp, in the role he will forever be known for) escape, a crime that is itself punishable by death. The only way out of it is for Will to hunt down Sparrow, and make a deal with him - a pardon and a commission as a privateer for the Trading Company in exchange for that crazy compass of his that doesn't point north. So off Will goes (and later, Elizabeth as well) to find him, but Jack has problems of his own. It seems that the only way Jack ever acquired the Black Pearl was by selling his soul to Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), the undead ruler of the sea, and now Davy is looking to collect on the contract. In addition, Will finds that his father, Bootstrap Bill (Stellan Skarsgard), found his way onto Jones's crew... which would either help or hinder his mission to find Jack.
It takes most of the first hour for Pirates to get its sea legs. The introduction of Jack is far too drawn out, and takes up way too much time for a sideplot. The reason his entrance into the first film was so memorable is that it was so simple and unfortunate, but the way Jack was handling it gave you a great idea of what kind of pirate and/or man this guy was. This felt like they were trying way to hard, and trying way to hard to be goofy when there was no need for it.
That's a common theme here, actually. This is a much more serious film, but it doesn't realize it until too late into the runtime. As opposed to just a direct threat to Elizabeth, now EVERYONE has a sword to their throats, and the situation is much more dire. That explains why Depp's Sparrow isn't quite as quirky or insane this time around - he's very much invested in this adventure. His soul is at stake. That in itself helps to bring Sparrow a bit more down to earth, which some people will like because it makes him more human, and some people will hate because... well... it makes him more human.
Read the rest at HBS!
* * * * (out of 5)
Dead Man's Chest had a big pair of shoes to fill. Somehow, the memory of the first film proves to be both a blessing and curse for Ol' Captain Jack Sparrow and gang. This is a film that really wants to exist on its own, but demands made by the bookends of the series dictate a little too much for the middle child. Still, it's very entertaining for 3/4ths of the running time, and it made me want the third installment out now. I say mission accomplished.
As we return to the Caribbean, we find the ruins of Elizabeth (Keira Knightly) and Will's (Orlando Bloom) wedding. A new meanie has entered town in the form of Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander), an official for the East India Trading Company, infamous for branding any pirates they happen to run into. Beckett tells Will that both he and Elizabeth have death sentences for assisting in Captain Jack Sparrow's (Johnny Depp, in the role he will forever be known for) escape, a crime that is itself punishable by death. The only way out of it is for Will to hunt down Sparrow, and make a deal with him - a pardon and a commission as a privateer for the Trading Company in exchange for that crazy compass of his that doesn't point north. So off Will goes (and later, Elizabeth as well) to find him, but Jack has problems of his own. It seems that the only way Jack ever acquired the Black Pearl was by selling his soul to Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), the undead ruler of the sea, and now Davy is looking to collect on the contract. In addition, Will finds that his father, Bootstrap Bill (Stellan Skarsgard), found his way onto Jones's crew... which would either help or hinder his mission to find Jack.
It takes most of the first hour for Pirates to get its sea legs. The introduction of Jack is far too drawn out, and takes up way too much time for a sideplot. The reason his entrance into the first film was so memorable is that it was so simple and unfortunate, but the way Jack was handling it gave you a great idea of what kind of pirate and/or man this guy was. This felt like they were trying way to hard, and trying way to hard to be goofy when there was no need for it.
That's a common theme here, actually. This is a much more serious film, but it doesn't realize it until too late into the runtime. As opposed to just a direct threat to Elizabeth, now EVERYONE has a sword to their throats, and the situation is much more dire. That explains why Depp's Sparrow isn't quite as quirky or insane this time around - he's very much invested in this adventure. His soul is at stake. That in itself helps to bring Sparrow a bit more down to earth, which some people will like because it makes him more human, and some people will hate because... well... it makes him more human.
Read the rest at HBS!
posted by Matt S. at
3:51 PM
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