Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Captain Jack Is Back!

**Warning: May Contain Some Spoilers**

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is back in this swashbuckling adventure. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” begins on the would-be wedding day of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). Things go horribly wrong when Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) appears with orders to arrest the pair for their efforts in helping Jack escape (in the previous film). In order to save Elizabeth from the gallows, Will agrees to track down Jack and deliver the pirate’s unique compass back to Beckett.

Meanwhile, Jack, has problems of his own. After noticing the dreaded “black mark” on his hand, he receives an ominous visit from Bootstrap Bill (Stellan Skarsgard) and commands the crew to keep the Black Pearl in shallow waters.

After traveling to several places (and some of Jack’s old haunts), Will finally tracks down the Black Pearl which has run ashore on an island inhabited by cannibals. Barely escaping with their lives, Jack agrees to hand over the compass in exchange for a key that is shown on a drawing that he has. But where is the key and what does it go to?

A trip to the mysterious Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris) reveals that the key belongs to Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) and opens a chest containing his heart. Jones is not only one of the major terrors of the sea but also controls the monster, the Kraken, which can destroy a ship and sink it into the ocean’s depths. Ultimately, the person who possesses the heart commands great control over Jones himself.

A trek to find Jones’ ship, the Flying Dutchman, results in Will being taken captive by the cursed crew. In a stand-off between Jack and Davy Jones (in which it’s revealed that Jack made a previous deal with Jones to captain the Black Pearl for a period of time, 13 years, which has come to an end), Jack agrees to deliver 100 souls to Jones within three days to satisfy the debt.

Elizabeth, in the meantime, hasn’t been pining away in jail. With the help of her father (Jonathan Pryce), she escapes, stows away on a ship and finds Jack, crew and a down on his luck Norrington (Jack Davenport) in Tortuga. The Black Pearl sets sail again. Destination? The island where the hidden chest containing the heart of Davy Jones is buried. Who will win the race against time? What does fate have in store for those on the high seas? What about the rum? You’ll have to watch “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” to answer these questions!

I had high expectations for this movie and it didn’t disappoint. While it was great that the original cast of Depp, Bloom and Knightley was kept intact, it was also good to see characters such as Gibbs (Kevin McNally), Pintel (Lee Arenberg) and Ragetti (Mackenzie Crook) return. Bill Nighy as the octopus-faced Jones was an excellent addition as well Naomie Harris as the soothsaying fortune teller, Tia Dalma. Stellan Skarsgard’s poignant portrayal of Bootstrap Bill / Will’s father made the character seem sympathetic, especially during one particular scene between father and son while on the decks of the Flying Dutchman.

The action was also non-stop throughout most of the film. The calmer scenes were just enough to catch your breath before the next sword fight, Kraken attack or quick escape occurred.

Two other things that I really liked about “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” were the subtle references to things in the first film and the way the movie ended. A moviegoer might want to see the first movie in order to get the jokes about rum, eunuchs, sea turtles and Will’s run-in with two ladies during his search for Jack. Also, the cliffhanger at the end of the movie was reminiscent of the finales of “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” and to some extent, “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back”. A chapter is finished but there’s more to the story that has to be told. The anticipation for the third installment kicks in immediately.

With so much going on in the movie, it’s easy to see where moviegoers could get a little lost along the way. I think it’s safe to assume that some things will be explained in the third movie due out next year. For example, we’re shown the “P” branding iron that Beckett used on Jack (a scar that we saw in the first movie). While Beckett mentions that Jack made a mark on him, we’re never shown what it is. Expect these two to come face to face in the third film!

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” is an action-packed, adventurous, swashbuckling thrill ride. This is definitely the must-see movie of the summer.

This movie is rated PG-13 by the MPAA due to intense sequences of adventure violence, including frightening images.

Runtime: 150 minutes

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