Blew Me Away

Rating: 10/10 (9 July 2006)

The first time I saw this movie, I was forced to sit in the front row (don't ask). I could only take in bits and pieces of it and because of that I thought it was slow and I was disappointed. However, I went again today and was able to sit near the top and take in the whole movie at the same time. I was truly amazed. Granted, there are many plot elements that are never explained and do not make sense. There are many that come from seemingly nowhere and you wish that you knew what they were about. However, all of these moments fit together wonderfully to create a truly worthy sequel to the first Pirates. The tone to this movie is decidedly darker than the first. Bill Nighy plays Davy Jones, the heartbroken (literally) lord of the sea underworld who commands a ship full of ghost pirates that look like the stuff nightmares are made of. For anyone who was creeped out by Captain Barbossa in the first Pirates, Davy Jones makes him look like Pooh Bear. There are sequences in the movie that carry the more lighthearted tone of the first, such as the crew trying to swing to the sides of the cliff in their cages and the epic swordfight atop the water wheel. Johnny Depp is truly in his element as Jack Sparrow, making him even more wacky and hilarious than usual. Orlando Bloom steps back into Will Turner and is given much more to do. Will has done some growing up and it shows. Keira Knightley once again plays the feisty Elizabeth Swann. She is also given much more to do and does a lot with it. She is no longer the helpless damsel in distress, she manages to keep herself out of trouble and out of captivity on pirate ships. I was especially amazed at Tom Hollander, who plays the land villain Lord Cutler Beckett. I loved him as Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice and was delighted to see him and Keira working together again. As a die-hard Pirates fan (I saw the first one six times in the theater), I went into this movie with very high expectations. It didn't meet them, however. It more than exceeded them.