For Rip-Roaring Summer Adventure, It Doesn't Get Better Than Dead Man's Chest

Rating: 9/10 (3 June 2017)

When the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, Curse of the Black Pearl, became a cinematic sensation overnight in 2003, a sequel was all but assured. Thankfully, Dead Man's Chest builds on its predecessor, rather than coasting off its success. With Gore Verbinski back in the director's chair and salivating at the chance to up the ante on the first film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is simply electrifying. Thrilling, humorous, and straight up fun, Dead Man's Chest is a skillfully crafted summer blockbuster with more exuberant joy per square minute than just about everything else hitting cinemas today.
Dead Man's Chest amps up the stakes dramatically from Curse of the Black Pearl. Where that film was a straightforward adventure in the vein of the classic pirate movies of the 1930s through the 50s, the sequel is darker and more dramatic, while still retaining the wholesome charm of the first film. Captain Jack Sparrow, once again played with enthusiastic charm by Johnny Depp, is the focal point of the plot this time around. A prior deal with this film's villain, the grotesque fish creature named Davy Jones (motion captured by Bill Nighy), leaves Jack Sparrow on the run as Jones and the cursed crew of his ship, The Flying Dutchman, lead a relentless pursuit. This short summary fails to capture the complexity of the story of Dead Man's Chest. There is a lot to keep track of here. The rules for the various ancient curses and spells are given an exorbitant amount of screen time and the peripheral characters each have their own side stories which converge around this film's MacGuffin, a chest containing the still-beating heart of Davy Jones.
Would it be a better film if the story shed some of the superfluous side stories and charted a simpler path? I'm not sure that's the case. The story of Dead Man's Chest is very involved with many moving parts, but it is not particularly difficult to follow. Basically, Pirates 2 simply raises the stakes from the first movie. It's a grander adventure. A pirate saga where characters like Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann get some appreciated character development. Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightly both give an earnest sweetness to roles that may have otherwise rang hollow. The story is also a good deal grimmer than the first movie. Most of that darkness comes from Nighy's Davy Jones. Jones and his crew are the standouts of the movie. The Flying Dutchman's half man, half fish creatures (envisioned by master designer Crash McCreery) are wonders of imagination in the way they combine man and sea in constantly inventive ways. Jones himself is one of the great special effects creations ever. The iconic coiling tentacles that make up Jones' beard are completely photo-realistic, even in extreme close-up. You never believe what you are looking at is an effect. Jones is as real a CGI creature as I've ever seen. It's in his eyes though that ILM's work really shines. Nighy's spirit is all there and his unpredictable motion capture performance gives Davy Jones tremendous menace whenever he's on the screen.
If Johnny Depp's breakout performance as Captain Jack stole the show in the first Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man's Chest belongs to Gore Verbinski. Verbinski is clearly having a blast with this script (written by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio), and his passion is there from the opening frame. There is a youthful vigor and enthusiasm for filmmaking all throughout this film's two and a half hour run time. Verbinski has an eye for adventure, and his complete command over tone is unmatched. When Dead Man's Chest commits to scenes of classic swashbuckling excitement, this thing sings. The locations are so lush and vibrant, the characters are so charming, and the action scenes are so fervently inventive, that Dead Man's Chest completely overcomes any narrative bloat it might have. This movie is a feast of pure adventure spectacle. The big action set-pieces, the most exciting of which are an elaborate three-way sword-fight through the jungle on a giant wooden wheel and an epic attack by the mythical Kraken, are showcases for Verbinski's talent at giving his action scenes personality and life. Here is a director who just knows how to mix thrills and humor into a perfect entertainment gumbo. The balance is effortless. For their part, the cast does phenomenal work keeping up with Verbinski's manic energy as well. There is something to be said about how lively an action scene can be when you can see the actors savoring everything about the scenes they are in.
And it's not just the action scenes that spring to life on the screen. The entire movie is supercharged with crowd-pleasing energy. This is one big, lovable film. Even with a story that sometimes feels arbitrarily drawn out, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a soaring success because of director Gore Verbinski's zest for big budget summer popcorn filmmaking. From Verbinksi to every member of the enormous cast, everybody involved with this film seems to be fully committed to the spirit of fun that made Pirates of the Caribbean one of the most deservedly popular movie franchises ever. Dead Man's Chest is a top tier summer blockbuster, with a visionary director working the audience like a fiddle. In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Gore Verbinski takes us on an unforgettable ride. In a theater with a big crowd, it's as good a time as you will ever have at the movies.
93/100