A Comparative Look at the Pirates Series - Part 2: Dead Man's Chest

Rating: 7/10 (2 March 2016)

The second entry in the series returns to the world of pirates in a bold new way.
It is still an Adventure film in many ways, but I think this and the next in the series is far more in the realm of Fantasy. Dead Man's Chest brings back the characters that we were introduced to in the first film, and many new ones to add more depth to the 'Pirates' world.
At the beginning of the film we return to the island where William Turner, and Elizabeth Swann have recently started their life together. Very early on, their relationship is threatened by a new and much more human villain. Under the employ of the East India Trading Company, a man by the name of Cutler Beckett uses his financial and political clout to arrest both William and Elizabeth for their acts of piracy in the first film. He uses this to manipulate William to hunt down Jack Sparrow and bring him to justice. Jack hasn't changed much since the first film. When we are introduced to him, he is literally escaping what looks like hell, and he does so with such ease that he makes it look like fun. In addition we are introduced to another new villain, Davy Jones (fantastically played by Bill Nighy) who is consumed by an immortal quest to sail the seas and collect the souls of the dead to spend 100 years aboard his ship in service. Personally, I think he is my favourite personality throughout the series, if not just for the facial expressions he (and the FX team) managed to portray through the digital design of the character.
This movie and its sequel serve a much larger portion of plot to the viewer. Dead Man's Chest serves as the middle story for the original trilogy of films. There is a definite negative undertone throughout as each character goes through their own trials and alliances are tested. It becomes quite obvious that each person will play their part and betrayal is the main theme of this movie. Despite the fondness William may have for Jack, they are pitted against each other. Elizabeth finds herself in a position of power for the first time and must use it to manipulate Jack to her own ends. And of course the villains of the film pulling the strings to achieve their own ends.
This entry is probably the darkest in tone, and certainly has an undertone of death to it. The fight scenes are certainly aggressively violent for a Disney movie, but I think it was essential for this adventure. It is the 'Empire Strikes Back' of the series, and so; ends with a cliff-hanger as expected. It maintains that level of excitement throughout and plays an important role in the series, although perhaps not as lighthearted and fun as the original.
7/10