A Review by Phil Calabro
2006, Walt Disney Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Dir. Gore Verbinski - Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy, Jack Davenport, Jonathan Pryce, Lee Arenberg, Mackenzie Crook, Kevin McNally, David Ballie, Naomie Harris, Stellan Skarsgård
There's a serious problem with the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' sequel. After becoming a smash hit in 2003 with 'Curse of the Black Pearl', everybody involved believes they are upholding the highest standard in epic film. This is simply not true - the movie is entertaining at times, containing a fair amount of action and wit, but this is also the film's tone. A film such as 'Ben-Hur' or 'Gone with the Wind' requires the film to keep a constantly serious mood, telling a story that deeply effects its characters and their respective surroundings. But when 'Dead Man's Chest' compiles a supporting character that repetitively loses his glass eye, a sword fight on a waterwheel, and monsters created solely from the sea's barnacles, you have to wonder why they hold their story to such precedence. Alright, alright...now I'm sounding a little too pretentious. I didn't mind 'Dead Man's Chest', but even as I rewatched the mediocre 'Black Pearl' two nights ago, I realized that its sequel should've amended its past mistakes. The sequel clocks in at a heaving 3 hours, which becomes an exercise in nuttiness and imagination at the hands of producer Jerry Bruckheimer. But lost is a sense of pirate yore, and is replaced by what I could only describe as "Benny Hill and the Seven Seas."
Will Turner (Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) are to be married, but are swiftly arrested on their special day by the nefarious Lord Beckett (Tom Hollander). Both are to be sent to the gallows, unless they do Beckett's dirty deeds. He has a deal to make: find the compass of the globetrotting Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp), hand it over, and no more death sentences. Will searches for Jack along with the old crew of the Black Pearl, and they come across the insane captain on an island where he has crowned by a carnivorous tribe. Once escaped, the group sets out to find the key to the chest of Davy Jones (Nighy). Jones is a odious monster of sorts, and terrorizes the seas with an iron fist, er, tentacle. What the crew does not know is that Jack has a blood debt with Jones, which can only be repaid by a certain number of souls that Sparrow must collect. Eventually, every single character is out for the chest, a la a Blake Edwards chase scene that degenerates throughout the film.
On PBS today, there was a special about 'Pirates' that involved an interview with director Gore Verbinski. He described the film as being written without Jack Sparrow, and having him "put into scenes later, because Johnny [Depp] would rub off onto everybody during the production." If this is so, this is Verbinski's most destructive gaffe. The multitalented Depp feels like a simple sideshow to the film, rather than a centerpiece. Captain Jack is an underused gimmick, which is a crime to Depp and the story. But when Sparrow is given the spotlight, he shines strong, carrying that same sense of lovable swaggering and dering-do. Orlando Bloom is consistently overshadowed by other characters, even when given the opportunity to upstage. However, his performance is stronger than in 'Black Pearl', as he has now had the opportunity to adapt with co-stars Depp and Knightley. Keira Knightley, while not having much to do, carries out a decent performance despite her lack of emotion or personality. She's pretty, taints the story with a bit of jealousy (I won't reveal) and compromises with the action scenes. Bill Nighy, behind the CGI costume, brings out a new level of evil with the role of Davy Jones - a disgusting, vile being who is hated immediately by his audience. I loved how deliciously cruel this character was - pushing the Geoffrey Rush 'Barbossa' character off the maps. There's a slimy and odiforous air that enters every time Nighy gets a scene.
The first thing I could do after sitting through 'Dead Man's Chest' was yawn. My friends accompanied me in doing so, but my other friend argued that it was still somewhat entertaining. However, I agreed with all of them. But like any film, action and adventure can not always carry a movie, unless it has something to add - immediately or conversely - to the story. There were a good handful of scenes that Verbinski polished that were easily extractable from the runtime - action scenes needed editing, dialogue needed to be shortened, and characters that had little or nothing to do could have been clipped in an instant. But Disney intentionally wanted to revise its original thrill ride to have double the excitement, so pulling in the entire original cast - whether cameos or characters - would give the film more appeal to die-hard fans. But here I am, in the far back row, dozing and stretching uncomfortably as I wait for the 15-minute sword fight to finish. If I'm not the only one thinking this, director Verbinski should get on the ball - only one more year till Number 3 arrives. But the thrills do come periodically - a lengthy scene on the island as everyone fights for the chest is amusing at times, and some ship battles give the movie a rustic edge.
'Dead Man's Chest' is a disappointment, and certainly does not match up to its predecessor. The film is simply too long, and contains too much action, too little good conversation with its characters, too little story, and too little Johnny Depp. Let's hope for the best on 'At World's End', because this installment is as damp as a seawrecked vessel.
