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Today’s
review is brought to you by the letter ARRRRRRRR.
(Sorry, I couldn’t resist…)
In the past, it was normal for the Disney
Studios to make a film, and then build a
themed attraction based on that film in
one of its parks. 2003 was a little different,
as Disney made two big-budget films based
on already existing attractions. In that
year both “The Haunted Mansion”
and “Pirates of the Caribbean: The
Curse of the Black Pearl” found their
way into theatres.
I initially had my doubts that either of
these films would be any good, as I figured
they would be no more that merchandise marketing
vehicles. "The Haunted Mansion"
ended up as further proof that Eddie Murphy
should no longer headline movies, but when
I saw “Pirates of the Caribbean: The
Curse of the Black Pearl” I was surprised
to find that it was one of the most entertaining
films of the year.
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Directed by Gore Verbinski (“The Ring”),
“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of
the Black Pearl” was a cleverly written,
rollicking adventure that puts any pirate movie
in the last 30 years to shame. The decision was
wisely made to take the pirate story to another
level by adding an element of horror to it. Here
we had pirates that also happened to be cursed
to an undead existence, their skeletal-like appearance
only revealed by moonlight. What made them even
worse, was that they could not be killed.
There were quite a few things that made this film
work so well. But if I was to pick put any one
element that really brought the movie to life,
it was the Academy Award nominated performance
of its star, Johnny Depp. As the renowned pirate
Captain Jack Sparrow, Depp created one of the
most wickedly funny characters of his career.
This is saying a lot as Depp has made a career
of playing against type by portraying some of
the most unusual characters in modern film. Though
there are few who would admit it, Depp has honestly
got to be one of the most talented and versatile
actors working in film, and there have been many
times he has delivered Oscar worthy performances,
only to be overlooked. His Jack Sparrow was yet
another of these in a long line of fully fleshed
out and original characters.
Geoffrey Rush also had much to do with the film’s
appeal, as his Captain Barbosa seemed to be the
perfect picture of piracy. His look and demeanor
embodied what I’ve always imagined a pirate
captain to be. Orlando Bloom, hot off his stint
as Legolas in “The Lord of the Rings”
saga, also did a great job in the role of the
young sword maker’s apprentice, Will, who
must save his lady love, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley),
from the evil clutches of Barbosa.
Due to the supernatural nature of the story, it
was necessary for the special effects to be good
in order to sell the movie to audiences. Again,
the filmmakers went beyond my expectations with
effects that were as beautiful as they were frightening.
There were scenes where the cursed pirates moved
in and out of the moonlight with lightning speed,
and the transitions between man and skeleton were
flawless.
“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of
the Black Pearl” turned out to be a huge
hit for the studio, so much so that it was decided
that it might be a good idea to make a sequel.
But as trilogies have become de rigueur, it was
further decided to film two sequels back to back,
that way one could be released in 2006 and the
next in 2007. (Filming the sequels back to back
saves a ton of money for the studio and time for
the actors.)
Last summer, I attended a screening of “Pirates
of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest,” the
first of the two sequels. I was extremely curious
to see if the studio could hit a home run again,
slightly apprehensive that it would fall short
of my expectations. I had already been let down
a few days earlier at a screening of the highly
disappointing "Superman Returns" so
I was hoping to fare better here. All of the main
characters were back, Jack Sparrow, Will Turner
and Elizabeth Swann, only this time their worlds
would be rocked by an altogether more frightening
menace… Davy Jones.
No, no, no…. not the guy from the Monkees
(though that would have been quite scary), but
THE Davy Jones… the ones whose 'locker'
is often spoken of by seafaring men. It seems
Jones is the captain of the fames Flying Dutchman,
the ship that has sailed the seven seas for the
last… well… for all eternity would
be the best way to describe it. It crew is made
up of lost souls who have given up their freedom
to Jones in exchange for their lives, or rather
un-lives as the case might be.
In “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's
Chest”, we learn that Sparrow had made a
deal with Jones years earlier and is now due to
pay up what he owes. Will and Elizabeth, on the
other hand, have their wedding day interrupted
by being arrested (annoyingly so) for aiding and
abetting a known pirate (Sparrow) in the first
film. But yet another deal is struck, this one
for their freedom IF Will can track down Sparrow
and take from him a compass that he keeps with
him at all times. Elizabeth, who is unable to
wait for Will's return, opts to work on her own
plan of escape so she can find him. So we have
Elizabeth following Will following Sparrow, who
is also on the run from Jones.
I guess the first question most of you would have
is the same as the one I had. Is the movie anywhere
near as good as the first? To tell you the truth…
its not just near, it gives the first a run for
its money. It is every bit as much fun, every
bit as rollicking and adventurous, and every bit
as impressive to look at. The only thing missing
is the excitement of meeting these characters
for the first time. With the possible exception
of Captain Davy Jones and his crew. Underneath
the massive tentacled make-up job that projects
the persona of Jones is actor Bill Nighy. You've
seen him in "Shaun of the Dead" and
"Underworld" (as well as its sequel),
but here he is nearly unrecognizable. But that
does not keep him from delivering a fantastically
frightening performance. His crew is also made
up of an assortment of cronies who look like they
walked out of Dr. Moreau's aquarium. Their appearance
utilizes a mix of make-up and CGI, and while I'm
not a huge fan of CGI used in this way, here the
results are spectacular.
The story also delivers somewhat of a love triangle
as emotions run high between the three beloved
leads. In the beginning, there is no doubt that
Will and Elizabeth love one another but as the
story unfolds the idea of who loves who becomes
questionable. Bloom and Knightly perform admirably
in these roles (that have undoubtedly become so
comfortable for them), but the star of the show
is Depp. Just as he stole the first movie with
the rakish creation that is Jack Sparrow, this
movie is also his. There is no doubt that he enjoys
playing the character, which we hear from interviews
and cannot help but notice from the lack of sequels
under his belt, and here it shows as much as just
ever did.
Walking out of the theatre my wife and I discussed
how much neither one of us was disappointed by
the film and how strongly we were ready to see
the third installment. Of course, I must warn
you that “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead
Man's Chest” is the "Empire Strikes
Back" of the Pirate Trilogy, and ends on
a cliff-hanger. When I saw the studio rep, the
first thing I asked him was to please tell me
that the next one comes out as Christmas. He shook
his head sadly (but with a little hint of a grin),
and told me… next summer. (Wow… only
51 weeks to go, I thought…)
Well, part of the wait is cut down by the release
"Dead Man's Chest" on DVD… just
in time for Christmas, no less. And to say that
this release is a buried treasure trove of extra
features would be an understatement. The first
disc includes a great blooper reel and a commentary
by the writers, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio.
The blooper reel is never as long you might want,
but the goofs and flubs are still quite humorous.
The commentary is entertaining in that it eschews
most of the technical aspects of the film and
focuses more on plot and characterization.
Disc 2 has "Charting the Return", which
is a 25 minute look at all the preparations that
had to be made before the film could start shooting.
Things like having a script and scouting locations
are uncovered here. "According to Plan"
is a much longer documentary, coming in a little
over an hour, and focuses on the shoot itself
and all the hazards that were faced by the cast
and crew. There is also a detailed look at Captain
Jack's costume, a visit with Orlando Bloom, Keira
Knightly and Jack Davenport as they learn to fight
with swords, a very detailed featurette on how
they created Davy Jones around actor Billy Nighy,
and about ten minutes of Kraken creation. Additionally,
you'll find out how the Disney Imagineers re-fitted
the Pirates of the Caribbean them park ride, what
it was like to film the Bone Cage sequence, a
little bit of the red carpet premiere and a gallery
of Jerry Bruckheimer's photos.
I was going to try and refrain from doing this
but…”I’m tellin’ ya now
ya scaliwags. Ya better swim out right now an’
buy “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's
Chest.” It be a veritable treasure trove
o’ fun, fit fer a king. O’course I’ll
be needin’ ya to swab those decks afore
ya go. Arrrrrrrrr.”
Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly,
Jack Davenport, Bill Nighy, Jonathan Price, Stellan
Skarsgard
Studio: Walt Disney
Release Date: 12/5/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Website
We'll give Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's
Chest an A.
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