Dead Man's Chest revives hope in the movie industry as it delivers action, humor, horror, a fun story, and more Sparrow

Rating: 9/10 (10 July 2006)

Who's up for another ghost tale involving the seven seas, pirates, the undead, and the forever cursed? Dead Man's Chest is a heavily hyped sequel to the original surprise hit that restarted the average moviegoer's love for swashbuckling adventures and also introduced us to Jack Sparrow, one of the coolest movie characters to come out in recent years. Most of the cast from the original came back, and this time the franchise was going to branch out into a trilogy. While the film clocks in at a long 150 minutes, Dead Man's Chest has so much going for it that you will not mind, even if the pacing is not that of the typical popcorn flick.
The pace of the original Pirates movie starts out slow and then speeds up especially towards the end. Dead Man's Chest does this same thing, except its even slower in the beginning, and then really picks up in the middle and ends with you gasping for air after all the disbelief and unbelievable moments shown on the big screen. The story this time centers on Jack Sparrow as suddenly his time to end his debt with Davy Jones, a very-feared and legendary captain of an evil ghost ship, is running out. With this dilemma at hand, he once again brings Will and Elizabeth into the adventure, as well as some familiar faces from the original. In the meantime, conspiracies and mysterious circumstances are brewing up in Elizabeth and Will's homeland. The plot is much more constricted and tangled up the second time around, even though the writers were able to add some seemingly unnecessary scenes for some comic relief.
Johnny Depp seems to be born to play the part of Jack Sparrow, because he does it so well, perhaps too well for his own good. He is just as funny, just as entertaining, and just as cruel and unusual in the second installment, as we get to see much more of him. Knightley and Bloom were not half-bad as the love struck victims of the entire ordeal, and while Bill Nighy is most certainly no Geoffrey Rush, not even close, he does a good job as the fearful captain. Unlike the average summer flick, the acting was decent, not Oscar-worthy (besides Depp), but passable. When the actors are not talking, its all the action-packed sequences and spectacular special effects that fill the screen. Without a doubt, some of the best-looking effects in recent years are displayed here, ranging from the disgusting-looking pirates, the Flying Dutchman itself, and the sea monster that gets summoned a few times. Davy Jones looks menacing and the staff does a great job in not overdoing the special effects and CGI.
While the action may have been lacking in the beginning, its everywhere in the second half of the movie. The first half was the introduction to the conflict and to the enemies in the movie; the second half is everyone going at it, whether it's a ship against a monster, or a three-way fight, or pirates against an invincible crew of damned souls, or a silly humorous fight amongst a bunch of drunk pirates and convicts. While Dead Man's Chest is not for mindless action fans, the second half has so much carnage and swordplay and unbelievable moments that it will make the average fanatic drool with anticipation for the next big moment. The three-way fight hands-down is one of the best action sequences you will ever see, guaranteed. Starting with just three people going at it, it escalates into amazing lengths, as Gore Verbinski stretches a simple fight into a complex turn of events with fun twists and never-ending fights between the hero of the story, the main character, and a third person who will not be mentioned in this review.
Like the original, Dead Man's Chest has a bit of everything: plot twists, action, humor, horror, drama, romance, and a lot of fantasy. The best part is, it has plenty of nods to the original movie, and plenty of references to the ride as well, and even to older literature. Has a bit of everything for the average viewer to enjoy, and while it is most certainly the most violent thing to garnish the Walt Disney name, it still has that bit of Disney magic that has made us return to Disney films time and time again. It is a ride through the open seas as you get to see it all, beautiful women, evil villains, colorful characters, huge monsters, treasure, and more stories to keep your thirst for nicely-woven sea tales quenched until next year, when we see the grand finale. Oh, the ending to this movie was grand as well, with a few pleasant surprises.
Bottom Line: Not as fresh as the original, but just as entertaining, as it has a bit of everything, and more Jack Sparrow. Action, comedy, drama, and a hint of horror, Dead Man's Chest is in every way a good film, as it stacks up well to the original, and to action sequels in the past. This is quickly gaining potential in becoming the best action franchise since the masterpiece Indiana Jones movies of the 1980s. Recommend to everyone, and as long as you can put up with the slow pacing, you will not leave the theater disappointed. Dead Man's Chest: More Sparrow, more pirates, more fun, and more reasons to look forward to the 2007 summer movie season.