Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Johnny Depp
Orlando Bloom
Keira Knightley
Jack Davenport
Bill Nighy
Jonathan Pryce

Directed by Gore Verbinski

Plot: Captain Jack Sparrow is caught up in another tangled web of supernatural intrigue. Although the curse of the Black Pearl has been lifted, an even more terrifying threat looms over its captain and scurvy crew: it turns out that Jack owes a blood debt to the legendary Davy Jones, Ruler of the Ocean Depths, who captains the ghostly Flying Dutchman, which no other ship can match in speed and stealth. Unless the ever-crafty Jack figures a cunning way out of this Faustian pact, he will be cursed to an afterlife of eternal servitude and damnation in the service of Jones. This startling development interrupts the wedding plans of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, who once again find themselves thrust into Jack's misadventures, leading to escalating confrontations with sea monsters, very unfriendly islanders, flamboyant soothsayer Tia Dalma and even the mysterious appearance of Will's long-lost father, Bootstrap Bill. Meanwhile, ruthless pirate hunter Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company sets his sights on retrieving the fabled "Dead Man's Chest." According to legend, whoever possesses the Dead Man's Chest gains control of Davy Jones, and Beckett intends to use this awesome power to destroy every last Pirate of the Caribbean once and for all. For times are changing on the high seas, with businessmen and bureaucrats becoming the true pirates--and freewheeling, fun-loving buccaneers like Jack and his crew threatened with extinction.

Review: Like most people I was shocked by how great the first Pirates of the Caribbean film was. I don’t care much about Orlando Bloom or Keira Knightly, but I love Johnny Depp. I have stated this in the past, but I will watch any movie Johnny Depp is in good or bad. This was one of those movies that I didn’t need the trailer for, I was ready to see it simply based on my love of the first film.

Although I loved this movie, it had its ups and downs. Orlando Bloom, I felt, was better this time around. He seemed more relaxed in the role and had fun. Keira Knightly still seemed to struggle just to pull off the character. She didn’t give a bad performance, but one that just about any other actress could pull off. Johnny Depp fell back into character as though he never left. He has admitted to loving this role and it shows. Depp is brilliant in this character and offers us some of his best performances. Everything with this sequel was done correctly. They spent more money for bigger set, bigger effects, and a bigger storyline. This film also offers some twists and turns at the end as well as some unexpected surprises. I really enjoyed this film and look forward to the 3rd installment.

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