PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

When the first film in the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise, The Curse of the Black Pearl, was released, it was an surprise hit, receiving critical acclaim and making over $654 million at the box office. Of course, the producers were thrilled with this and the sequel was announced with the subtitle, Dead Man's Chest, and was released in 2006. One of the biggest pressures for any sequel is that it lives up to people's expectations and is as good as the predecessor. Fortunately, with three quarters of the main characters returning from the previous film, an interesting plot and a scary villain, Dead Man's Chest is my personal favourite of the whole series.

We're plunged into the world of sword fights and savvy pirates. Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is reminded he owes a debt to Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), who captains the flying Dutchman, a ghostly ship, with a crew from hell. Facing the 'locker', Jack must find the heart of Davy Jones but to save himself he must get the help of quick-witted Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). If that's not complicated enough, Will and Elizabeth are sentenced to hang, unless will can get Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) Jack's compass, Will is forced to join another crazy adventure with Jack. 

I think that this is a great follow-up to The Curse of the Black Pearl. The film opens with Will preparing to marry Elizabeth, however, due to the events of the previous film, their lives are at stake. Fortunately, Beckett makes a deal with Will: if he can find Jack and take his beloved compass and bring it back to Beckett, he'll let both him and Elizabeth go. This proves to be easier said than done as Jack is off on his own personal mission to find the key to Davy Jones' chest. This leads to him and his crew being trapped on a desert island which is inhabited by cannibals. Many have said that this sequence runs too long but I have to disagree as it's one of the most entertaining scenes in the film and further proves why Depp is perfect as the quirky Jack Sparrow. I can't imagine anyone keeping a straight face when he's running away from the cannibals whilst screaming. 

Whilst Depp's performance is still the best thing about this film, both Bloom and Knightley give solid performances as the two love interests. Bloom's Will Turner is just as determined as ever, however, it's Knightley's portrayal of Elizabeth Swann that I love. When Turner fails to return with Jack's compass, she makes a deal with Beckett to go out and find the compass herself. Instead of writing her as a simple, one-dimensional damsel in distress, Elizabeth is a brave and strong individual who isn't afraid of pirates. 

Because of the previous film, Geoffrey Rush's Captain Barbossa doesn't return in this sequel. Instead, he is replaced by Nighy's  Davy Jones who is a much more terrifying villain. Because of computer-generated imagery, Nighy is unrecognisable in this role. Jones is furious at Sparrow for not paying his debt and says that he must join his crew on his ship, The Flying Dutchman, or be dragged to the depths of the sea by the even more terrifying hermaphrodite known as the Kraken. Davy Jones is someone we wouldn't want to make a deal with and is the best villain in the whole series.

Another new addition is Tia Dalma (Naomi Harris), who is a voodoo priestess. This is Harris' breakthrough performance and one that got her recognition. She is unrecognisable underneath the layers of dark and vibrant make-up and costume. Her scenes are vital to the plot as she tells the story of Davy Jones and tells the characters that his weakness is his heart which is located in the titular chest. 

In the previous film, we learnt that (*SPOILER ALERT*) Turner was the son of a pirate. As it turns out, his father is Bill 'Bootstrap Bill' Turner (Stellan Skarsgård) and is trapped on Jones' ship. This leads to a bond forming between the two as Will learns about his father's true identity. It's a relationship that is crucial in the next film, At World's End.

The length of The Curse of the Black Pearl was an issue, however, this sequel is even longer with a runtime of two hours and thirty minutes. To be honest, because the film moves at a brisk pace and has plenty of thrilling scenes, it barely feels like almost three hours has passed. Some of the greatest films ever made, including Lord Of The Rings, Inception and Avatar had long runtimes. I think that longer runtimes are better as it gives the plot and characters plenty of time to develop. However, it does need your 100% concentration. It's worth watching as the climax is incredibly thrilling and features a shocking cliffhanger and a surprise appearance from one of the characters.

After the release of Dead Man's Chest, it went on to become the highest grossing film of 2006, making over a $1 billion at the box office. It even won an Academy Award the following year for Best Achievement in Visual Effects. It was also nominated for three others which were: Best Achievement in Art Direction; Best Achievement in Sound Mixing and Best Achievement in Sound Editing. 

Overall, the sequel to The Curse of the Black Pearl is a great follow up and improves on its predecessor in terms of plot and performances from all the actors involved.

8/10

Read my review of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl here.

Read my review of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End here.

Read my review of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides here.