Dead Man's Chest: Better than the first

Rating: 10/10 (14 July 2006)

In my humble opinion, DMC was better than COTBP in many ways. Don't get me wrong, Curse of the Black Pearl is one of my all-time favourite movies, but even I had to admit that the second one was simply amazing. Many people that have voted or posted their comments have said that Dead Man's Chest was comparable to Empire Strikes back (a sentiment I thought of as soon as I left the cinema), when others have said Matrix Reloaded would be a more apt comparison. I believe that the people who agree with the latter must remember that the first made the impression on all of us because everybody was surprised that COTBP, a movie based on a theme park ride, would obtain the phenomenal success that it did, and therefore had a lasting effect on us.
Despite DMC's arguably more pointless (less relevant to the story) beginning, I think everyone that watched the movie can agree that the middle and ending of the movie were clearly more exciting, suspenseful and enjoyable than the first. While the first movie had one relatively weak story of cursed aztec gold which was almost completely driven by Johnny Depp's (and to a lesser extent, Geoffery Rush's) unique acting style, and superb special effects which brought the skeletons to life. DMC on the other hand had the same erratic behaviour by Depp, a new villain whose mannerisms and backstory rival, and arguably exceed those of Barbossa, and special effects which personally kept my jaw dropped as soon as the formidable tentacles of Davy Jones first graced the screen. Jack Sparrow's character evolved magnificently in DMC, as did Elizibeth Swann's, who turned from spunky Damsel in Distress to a heroine in her own right, even managing to subdue Jack himself. Will Turner's story of a brave sidekick transformed into a much deeper tale of lost love, a scorned son, and demonstrated Will's ability to think for himself. His relationship with his father 'Bootstrap' Bill was one of the most disturbing and at the same time heart-warming sections of the film, and contributed greatly to Will Turner's purpose in the world of Pirates of the Caribbean, something which before was shrouded in uncertainty.
The movie started with 3 different stories, each character revelling in their personal traumas and their twisted love stories, eventually converging into one astounding amalgam of action, romance, and a phenomenal twist that in my opinion was mirrored only in Empire Strikes Back. If you are skeptical about this comment, and find it hard to believe that a Disney movie based on a theme park ride can be mentioned in the same sentence as the best Star Wars film, but if you look at the meaningful topics that this film covers, and the genius of how they were executed, I am sure that you will agree that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a fantastic piece of cinema which far surpasses it's predecessor. When you agree with me about the quality of this film, please go and give this film the high rating it deserves.