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19/08/06
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest by Jenni  Overall rating: 80% Three years ago (my God I'm old!) I went to go and see a film I knew little about (this was pre Rottentomatoes and Empireonline obsession), but word of mouth was that, although people had anticipated it sucking, it actually didn't. This film was Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. From then on I was in love with Captain Jack Sparrow and all things pirate related, so you can imagine how much I was looking forward to the sequel. The problem with wanting to see a film so badly is that more often than not you are left highly disappointed, and after lukewarm reviews I feared I would be setting myself up for the biggest disappointment since Men in Black 2. (What??? The first one rocks!!) Dead Man's Chest takes place as Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley) and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) are about to be married, but before the ceremony they are arrested and face the gallows. Out of desperation Will makes a deal with the shady tycoon Lord Cuttler Beckett - if he can bring him Captain Jack's magical compass they can be pardoned. But Jack Sparrow has issues of his own - he owes Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) his soul and 100 years of service to his Flying Dutchman ship. The only way out is to recover the mysterious Dead Man's Chest in order to bargain with the Lord of the Sea - but Captain Jack is not the only one looking for it. The plot is a lot more slow burning and tangled than the first film and thus is harder to be drawn into. The strange pace of the film doesn't help, but towards the end you are actually on the edge of your seat and as the final cliff-hanger is revealed, jaws dropped throughout the cinema, so you can forgive it for being a few minutes too long. There are some breathtaking special effects in this film too. From Davy Jones' army of mutant fish-type creatures and the swordfight on a wheel to the vicious attack from the beast of the sea - the terrifying Kracken (a giant squid that can swallow ships whole). Although obviously computer generated, they add so much fun, terror and excitement you can't really blame the effects team for overindulging. The real surprise of the film for me was how much I actually liked Will Turner (considering how much I hated him in the first film). Despite Orlando's tendency to overact, he manages to bring a likeable side to the newly heroic Will - it's almost as if he has been corrupted by Captain Jack, but in a good way. You actually root for him as he tries to save Elizabeth, tries to prevent the Black Pearl from being attacked and is reunited with his doomed father. Elizabeth Swan's new found love for dressing and acting like a pirate is a bit of a stretch too far for Keira Knightly, you really cannot believe that she is anything but the pampered little girl of the first film. Although get ready to throw things at her at the end!!!! Captain Jack is as lovable as ever, but no where near as good as he was in Curse of the Black Pearl. This is probably due to the fact that the film doesn't revolve around him this time, so the script doesn't allow for complete ownage (yeah that's a word....) of the other actors. Or maybe he has become too predictable; you can predict when he's going to be selfish and when he attempts to be honourable. The supporting actors bring most of the film's humour - take a bow Mackenzie Crook who had me in stitches throughout. The return of the disgraced Norrington was wonderfully handled by Jack Davenport and despite all the make up, Bill Nighy makes a brilliantly complex Davy Jones. Whilst it lacks the originality and elements of surprise the first film had, it is just so fun it doesn't really matter. Bring on Pirates 3!!! In Summary: Much like my sense of direction (especially getting to Cineworld!), Pirates 2 takes the scenic route (we all remember my legendary detours through Astmoor, Widnes and the general area of Sue's pub!) and sometimes gets a little confused, but it gets there in the end and everyone's happy. |