Login
Everything wrong with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest can be perfectly summarized in the frenzied battle that encapsulates much of the climax. There’s Will, Jack, and a dispossessed Commodore Norrington (Jack Davenport) fighting in a gigantic spinning wheel across an island terrain. Meanwhile, the two comic relief pirates (Mackenzie Crook and Lee Arenberg) are chased by Elizabeth after they steal the title’s chest. Soon both of these groups must stop their in-fighting to take on Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) and his crew. If you’re exhausted reading that much plot dump, well, we haven’t even mentioned Beckett (Tom Hollander), a heavy from the East Indian trading company who sneers and pulls puppet strings throughout the plot, and Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris), a swamp dwelling witch who exists as both exposition dump and the keeper of vital character backstory for several players.
Plot bloat was already a problem in the first entry, and this sequel only exacerbates this problem. Less is not more, more is more, and too much of a good thing is simply Disney trying to demonstrate blockbuster dominance. This bloated feeling isn’t simply from too many characters demanding time and attention, but too much time spent on frantic action sequences that drag on past the point of being enjoyable. We get two daring escapes across islands in circular contraptions, two Kraken attacks, two love triangles, and numerous other instances of the film doubling back on itself. Editing would only have improved matters.
If it sounds like I disliked Dead Man’s Chest, well, you’d be wrong. The problems are obvious and there’s no going around them. Yes, this one also outstays its welcome, but it’s still highly enjoyable for the sheer lunacy on display. This is a movie with Davy Jones envisioned as made up from various barnacles, crustaceans, and an octopus face. There’s an immortal monkey, an island of cannibals, plenty of gags involving a pirate’s fake eye and his newfound religious views, and the female character getting the more interesting character development.
There’s a lot to like about the Pirates franchise in general, including the ever-expanding mythology that feels breezily constructed for a vague framework, and Dead Man’s Chest is no different. It’s a definite step-down from the first, but it’s solidly entertaining and well-made. I mean, zombie-pirates revealed only in moonlight is cool, but an entire ship and crew made up coral and sea flora and fauna? That’s awesome, and provides some moments to stare in awe at expertly done special-effects work and wholly original creature designs.
Ok, so maybe the Kraken attacks have not aged well. And by not aged well, I mean what once looked terrifying and majestic on the big screen now looks rubbery and painfully artificial. Thankfully these moments are kept to a minimum and the stellar work done on Jones and crew (mostly) remains convincing and engaging. It helps that many of their scenes take place in darkened rooms, atmospheric lighting, or in the rain, all tricks and forgiving circumstances for special effects to retain their power.
In fact, Dead Man’s Chest is a darker, more atmospheric experience all around. There’s still an element of swashbuckling daring, an alchemy of too many disparate elements coming together to form a mixed brew, but the gallows humor and more supernatural aspects of the first take a strong grasp here. It’s not a bad thing necessarily, but eventually the foundations start to crack and there’s still another hour or so of movie to get through. Then there’s the ending which is clearly open-ended for the sequel, not so coincidentally filmed back-to-back with this one. Just as idiosyncratic and rambunctious as The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man’s Chest still threatens to sink underneath the weight of its own ambitions.
