my thoughts

Rating: 8/10 (9 July 2006)

I went to see Dead Man's Chest last night. It was a packed theater. A few people were even dressed for the occasion, swords and all. As soon as the film began, I was hooked. From the moment CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow made his entrance (I cheered) to the shocker at the very end, I loved every minute. Most everyone else did as well. If this was a stand-alone movie, I might have been disappointed because of the "here comes the sequel" cliffhanger. But as part II of a trilogy, it works wonderfully. It was darker, funnier, and the various sea battles, swordfights, and escapes were creative and exciting. I appreciated how the director balanced the serious dialogue with slapstick comedy so well. Davy Jones' crew were gross and unpleasant to look at, but that was the point. They're trapped in a watery hell, they're not exactly going to have faces like Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley (people who complained about the ugly pirates probably went to the film just to "ooh" at the two actors listed above). The plot was a little hard to follow, but if you pay attention, you'll be alright. I had no problem with the violence and I believe it was done tastefully, not gory or graphic. It's a PG-13 movie based on an idea of Uncle Walt's, not some soccer mom's home video of the ride in Disneyland. I say kudos to the Disney company for having taken such a chance three years ago with The Curse of the Black Pearl. It's about time they realized that most of their original customers have grown up and want things a little more mature from the main Mouse. By the way, Johnny Depp is an incredible actor. Jack Sparrow just might be my favorite franchise movie character since Indiana Jones (incidentally, Spielberg would be proud of this film I think. It feels a lot like Raiders of the Lost Ark at sea). The CGI was top-notch. I really believed there was a giant squid crushing those ships, and as mentioned before, the crew of the Flying Dutchman were delightfully creepy. I don't know if I can wait for the final installment.