U.S. Release Date: 7/7/06
Running Time: 2:35
Rated: PG-13 (Violence)
Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, Stellan Skarsgård, Jack Davenport, Kevin McNally, Naomie Harris, Jonathan Pryce, Tom Hollander

Director: Gore Verbinski
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Screenplay: Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
Music: Hans Zimmer
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Once a simpleton ride at Disney World, then a major motion-picture, and now a cinematic goldmine of a series:  the Pirates of the Caribbean films pack in the laughs and the entertainment.  As The Curse of the Black Pearl segmented the series in the action-packed adventure genre, Dead Man’s Chest furthers this notion.  While the sequel may be a bit hammier than the original, it’s still as engaging and grand. 

Picking up immediately as the first film left off, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) finds himself within a tentacles reach of Captain Davy Jones (Bill Nighy).  After discovering that he owes a blood debt to the Captain of The Flying Dutchman, Jack must steer clear of repaying this debt and submitting himself to eternal damnation.

In order for the soul of Captain Jack Sparrow to be saved, the help of others is needed.  In this case, two familiar faces arrive in: Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley).  Just after having their marriage interrupted only to be arrested, the two escape in hopes of rescuing Jack.  They must find the key to Davey Jones’ locker, reveal its contents, tame The Kraken, and defeat the slimy sea Captain and his band of phantom pirates.

Toward the beginning of the picture, it is said that, “What bodes ill for Jack Sparrow, bodes ill for us all.”  However, even with the predictable upshot of Mr. Sparrow, the film still succeeds, and the abrupt ending hints at enough hope to generate a strong sense of urgency for At World’s End—the third chapter.  While one could say that the action and the effects keep Dead Man’s Chest afloat, the plot and its characters alone are enough to be label the picture cinematically satisfying.

If you enjoyed the original, numero dos will most surely result in a similar approval—mainly attributed to Depp.  Mind you, you don’t get another Academy Award nominee-worthy performance out of said actor (even though his rum-breathed disposition remains the same), but you do get an additional thirty or so minutes of action-packed fun.  To boot, in spite of the romance being reduced to two dimensions, the humor and the conflict are very much still in tandem.

© 2006 Brandon Valentine