"Now, I would just like to point out that this film is displaying a distinct tendency to become silly."

Rating: 10/10 (1 July 2006)

From Sinbad and the Seven Seas to Jason and the Argonauts; from Odysseus and his Odyssey to Sloth and his friends the Goonies, audiences all alike have been amazed and enamored by what tales are told and brought from the depths of the sea. For someone like Ernest Hemingway the sea may bring an overwhelming feeling of complete serenity, but in the eyes of both producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski all is too well known to let the sea rest that easily. And it's no more apparent than in the mind of one Captain Jack Sparrow.
Captain Jack and his crew set sail, this time around, toward a course that'll lead them to an all-important chest, that only Jack knows the meaning of. The content within that chest happens to tell the sad story of one Davey Jones and his lost lady of the sea. But in order for Jack to get to the heart of things, so to speak, he must enlist the unwilling help of both Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner, yet again. With their assistance not only does Jack learn a valuable lesson in doing the right thing, but Jack ends up, unintentionally, leading both Elizabeth and Will down a path to their deepest desires.
Along the way mischievous antics occur, which is likely in a movie as swashbuckling fun as a Monty Python sketch (in fact, at any moment you might expect to hear the faint sounds of two coconuts clip-clopping together). That's not to say that they weren't on a treacherous trail of danger either. There's indeed a fair share of monstrous feats and ghastly turmoil. I'm mainly referring to Davey Jones' main defense, the Kraken (after seeing it, one might reconsider their decision to ever order Calamari again). And as exciting as the Kraken was to watch, the fight sequences were just as eye-popping. However, when you think that there couldn't be any more surprises there's just one more in store. But in the manner of a great magician, a good film-goer never ruins the ending. All that can be said is that the third installment has a lot to live up to.
Nothing can go wrong with a cast as energetic and enlightening as this one. Johnny Depp's portrayal of a pirate who thrives on near misses matches up perfectly with Kiera Knightley's role of a thrill seeker of a woman (which is just as enchanting as ever). Even Orlando Bloom pulls his own weight in this film filled with spectacles of great magnitude (it's as if they're all hungry to play with fire again). With the new edition of Bill Nighy (who's totally unrecognizable, yet refreshingly evil, as Davey Jones) and a bigger chunk of a part for Stellan Skarsgård to bite into as Will Turner's father, an astonishing experience for any film-goer is ensured. But not everyone may feel the same way, for one might find it hard to take the over-the-top locations and its acting another go around. Nevertheless, one man's jar of dirt is another's jar of gold.
The reason why this trilogy will work, after having so much retrospection on the subject, is the very same reason why the Indiana Jones franchise (as well as the original Star Wars) worked so well. It's just too good to be true. And don't think of this movie as being better than the original, think of it as aiding in the continuation of a wonderful story and its intriguing characters. So, without any further ado, set sail and point your compass wherever your deepest infatuations take you. All the knowledge that is needed to go forward without any trouble at all, at least for a little while, is to stay starboard and afloat for as long as you can. Other than that, just keep on singing, "Yo ho, yo ho, the pirate's life for me."