Tanya Batson-Savage, Freelance Writer
Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow leads his crew of merry, marauding men into combat. - CONTRIBUTED
PIRATES OF the Carib-bean: Dead Man's Chest is a tidal wave of fun that rolls from the first shot to the last.
Awaiting a sequel to a good movie is always a tricky thing, as there are equal parts anticipation of a great time at the cinema and fear the creators will mess up a good thing. Fortunately Dead Man's Chest, the sequel to The Curse of the Black Pearl, is another heady dose of rollicking good fun on the high seas. It's filled with action, comedy, fantastic costuming and a well-imagined cast of villains in the form of Davy Jones and his dastardly band of sea phantoms - men who begin to look like the dark underbelly of the sea the longer they stay with him.
To top it off, much of the old cast is brought back with reasonable plausibility (though one should realise that plausibility should be chucked at the front door for maximum enjoyment of this film).
The story picks up shortly after where the last one left off and we find many of the characters dealing with the consequences of their actions from the last flick. Of course, with Johnny Depp at the helm of the cast, one can be reasonably assured that if all else fails he will at least be good to watch. He returns with everything you love about Captain Jack Sparrow, a man who is not exactly anybody's idea of a swashbuckling pirate.
DEVELOPED CHARACTERS
In the main, he looks the part, but with that constant swaying walk, he veers from the narrow idea of pirates. And that's what makes him so interesting. He is a man of dubious character who speaks to all our romantic notions about pirates, men who are deemed cut-throats with honour.
Orlando Bloom (accompanied by a little more stubble to give him a more dashing appearance) reclaims the role of Will Turner and Kiera Knightley plays Elizabeth Swann, who is allowed to get even more interesting. Both characters are not as pure as we saw them last, though Turner retains the broad-stroked honour one expects from the hero, working as a beautiful foil to Sparrow's unseemliness.
What is also right with the film is that the team of Gore Verbinski (direction) and Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio (writers) is also retained. As such, the sequel has the same feel, though a touch of the freshness of the first one is admittedly lost.
Therefore, the middle of the film sags just a little as some of the attempts to play on jokes from the first flick fall a little off mark. Fortunately, despite all the emphasis on fantastic graphics and costuming and the swashbuckling fun, Pirates of the Caribbean is a character-driven story.
So, by selecting Bill Nighy to play this villain, Davy Jones, the movie once again secured great performances that can put heart into the film. Interestingly, the flick also allows Jack Davenport (Norrington) to add some edge to his image, as his polish from the last flick has been roughly scraped off by life.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is one of those movies that set you up beautifully for the third instalment. But rather than ticking you off, it leaves you grinning like an idiot, ready to hand over your money once again for another go at the ride because it's worth it. Aaargh!
