Film Review: Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) B

Date Viewed: 7/26/06
Venue: DGA

The much ballyhooed and highly anticipated sequel to the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced-mega-blockbuster of 2003 finally arrives and brings with it much mirth and high production value. Is it as good as the original? Not quite. Is it an entertaining bit of summer movie-going fun? Absolutely.

All of our intrepid characters from the first film are back as they are one by one roped into a dangerously quest for Davy Jones' lost treasure. Davy himself is around (played by Bill Nighy) as a cursed captain of a supernatural ship and its aquatically deformed crew (who bear a strong resemblence to heavy metallers GWAR), who of course play the villains to our heroes.

Following traditional sequel law: Dead Man's Chest gives us plenty of what made the first film so successful. Lots of Johnny Depp's wonderfully irreverent (Captain) Jack Sparrow and some amazingly choreographed action sequences.

Also following sequel law: Dead Man's Chest tries to give us more than the original. More action, more plot, more everything. Well, that's all fine and good on paper, but it's just a tad too much in this case. The storyline feels unnecessarily convoluted, and some action setpieces are simply there for no real reason, as if they're just as an excuse to show off. I thought the first film could've been about 20 minutes shorter, this one could easily drop 30+ without sacrificing story.

Another semi-gripe that Dead Man's Chest doesn't really function as its own film, it's a companion piece to next summer's as-yet-untitled sequel. Dead Man's Chest is basically the Matrix Reloaded or Back To The Future Part II of the trilogy.

Again, this is a fun, action-packed flick that doesn't quite have the charm of the original. Close, but no cigar. There's too much story crammed in, and it makes me wonder what could possibly be left for the third film.