A great film. By Sonja Dijkxhoorn, Jaro Kloosterman and Alexander Sterk

Rating: 8/10 (10 June 2014)

The film "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest", directed by Gore Verbinski, is the second installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. It includes amazing screenplay, spectacular special effects, all done by one of the most entertaining cast and crew in movie history. The humour is not like most of the cheesy comedy films nowadays, but more natural, mainly thanks to Johnny Depp, who performs as 'the pirate who is never sober': "Captain Jack Sparrow". Some references to the first film are made from time to time, so you will have to watch those films first. The plot is great, but not the main reason why it is fantastic: the scenes are exciting and the dialogue is very interesting, especially the subtle jokes. In other words, it is a film that is worth watching, from the first minute until the last one.
In this film, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is seeking the "Dead Man's Chest" in which Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) allegedly placed his heart inside when he got stood up by the sea goddess Calypso. In order to find the chest, Jack will need help from Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). Jack needs the chest but also the key to unlock the chest as leverage against Davy Jones: he and Jones made a deal 13 years ago: Jack would get the Black Pearl in exchange for his soul. Therefore, Jack, reluctant to pay his debt, needs the chest. In the meantime, Turner is secretly working for the East India Trading Company in order to get a royal pardon for his fiancée Elizabeth and himself. He has to steal Jack's magic compass that has been given to him by Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris). Only problem being that Jack needs the compass to find the chest. During their adventure, they get captured by a hill tribe, attacked by a Kraken, and reconnect with their old "pal" from the first film: Ex-Commodore Norrington. It has an open ending, so it is recommended to watch the other films as well.
With Gore Verbinski directing, the film had not only an amazing acting cast but also contained spectacular stunts. The stunning special effects were created thanks to an stunt coordinator (George Marshall Ruge) and a skillful team of digital artists for the animations and the blue screen effects.
Perhaps the best example of the spectacular stunts done in the film is in one of the final scenes containing a sword-fight between Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and James Norrington. During this battle, the three of them 'magically' appear to get stuck on a rolling wheel -still fighting-, resulting in an epic battle over the key to the Dead Man's Chest. Swordfighting is the most common stunt done in this film, being a pirate adventure in the 17th century. But the whole film would be a bit dull if it would fully consist of sword-fighting: there is a vast variety of stunts, diverging from simple jumping and climbing to complex falls. Nonetheless, everything appears as natural as any film, if not better.
The digital artists did a lot of very well performed special effects such as the crew of the Flying Dutchmen. They have been done with CGI and Motion Capture Suits. These suits are full of white dots on the moving body parts (such as joints) and later, in the animation room, the dots are used to get a good direction of how the body moves for the animated character. The CGI itself looked great but not exactly 'real'. But that did not matter considering the fact that almost everything in the film is actually fake. You get used to it and the film looks great: real or not real. The digital artists definitely did whatever they could do, to make the Special Effects in this film one of the best we have ever seen.
One thing in this film that is not fake, most of the time, is the background. The filming is mainly done on actual tropical islands and ships that were built, which however did not sail. Only a few scenes, were filmed with the use of a blue-screen. There is almost no difference to be seen between a real background and a blue-screen background, thus the animators have done a terrific job.
The best scenes containing animation in this film are, without a doubt, the ones with the Kraken! The CGI is so complex and looks stunning. If you decide to watch this film make sure to pay all your attention to these scenes because they are a milestone for Special Effects. The Kraken has been animated with CGI in its entirely and the actors had no reference to the Kraken at all, whilst acting 'with it'. This makes it especially difficult for the animators to get the height, width and position of the Kraken correct.
This film is a definite must-see blockbuster. Although the plot may be a little dull and far-fetched, the action and the quick-moving plot line makes it even again. The funny anecdotes and the dry humor, especially Jack Sparrow, makes this a film for all audiences. The director made an excellent choice concerning the actors, since they really fit the characters. Furthermore the special effects in this film are of a whole new level and made a big impact on the making of many films that came after this one. If you want to see this film, you must watch the prequel since all the movies form a big plot line together. But after you have watched it, you must see the sequels since this film has an open end and it is such great fun to see this film. All together, the acting, Special Effects and the stunts is what makes Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest an interesting film and that is why we have decided on giving it a 4-star rating.