Screenplay written by: Ted Elliott
&
amp; Terry Rossio (Shrek, Aladdin)
Actors: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack
Davenport, Bill Nighy
Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Rated: PG-13
Screenplay written by: Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio (Shrek, Aladdin)
Actors: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport, Bill Nighy
Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Rated: PG-13
The continuation of Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean movies brought us another chapter in the adventures of buccaneer Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), the light-hearted and continually rum-drunk commander of the Black Pearl pirate ship. Things get complicated when Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), the betrothed of Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley), is shanghaied by the East India Trading Company’s henchman seeking the “dead man’s chest” on the eve of their wedding. Will Turner (Bloom) is offered a way out if he brings back Sparrow’s magic compass that would direct him to the “dead man’s chest”. Sparrow is a marked man and to escape the fearful debt of servitude owed to Davey Jones, the mythological monster spirit of the deep, he must supply 100 souls or find the key that unlocks the “dead man’s chest” containing Jones’ still beating heart. Up to the challenge and with the spiritual guidance from a Voo-doo queen (Naomi Harris), Sparrow and his dutiful self-serving pirate crew prowl the aqua waters of the Caribbean to find his only salvation.
He Said:
Pirates of the Caribbean-Dead Man’s Chest was fast and fun escapism riddled with clever dialog and amazing Computer Generated Imagery (CGI). The “monster factor” was a little too intense and graphic for children, but if you are a techno buff, you will be as fascinated with the state-of-the-art special effects as I was. Johnny Depp’s brilliantly entertaining characterization of the unscrupulously enterprising pirate put a final lock on his franchise if it didn’t exist already. Depp is Jack Sparrow in much the same way as Hopkins is Hannibal Lecter. No one else would be wise to try to read for the part. Besides Depp’s acting skills, Kiera Knightly’s, and especially Naomi Harris’, rose to the occasion, while Orlando Bloom’s were no match by comparison. The continually colorful moving action, the artistic computer work, along with the unusual ending (remember, it is a set up for the sequel) made this more than worth a ticket. It had what it takes to be a summer blockbuster that every kid from 13 on up will love to experience.
On the R&R Scale (1-10):
8 for Script: Good tongue-in-cheek humor.
7 for Direction: Beautifully filmed and excellent CGI.
8 for Acting: Depp and Knightley, great.
7 for Plot: Layered interestingly.
8 for Entertainment Value.
7.6 Overall
She Said:
There were so many stitched-together segments with non-stop action and in-your-face imagery that by mid-film I was asking myself if the lack of transition from scene to scene was an example of story elements by committee. I could almost envision a room lined with storyboards of unrelated scenes and dialog that were such good possible concepts that no one could decide which ones to eliminate in order to keep the film’s continuity and story flow. Therefore, they all became a piece in the cinematic quilt, knitted together with phenomenal computer aided imagery and one sword-welding battle after another, all punctuated with close-ups of key characters. Speaking of close-ups, Johnny Depp was excellent even if the dark eye-makeup was just as distracting as in earlier Pirates of the Caribbean films and even if his swaggeringly loose limbs and hand gestures made our crazy pirate seem drunk enough to display an unintended latent effeminate side. The cinematography was beautiful and the phantasm of Davey Jones was a technological triumph as a Medusa-like image of a weeping, suctioning, slimy armed water monster that continually heaved dread. Although, “Dead Man’s Chest” was less violent than “The Black Pearl”, there were still plenty of the requisite flailing swords, loose eyeballs and frightening images. The humor was quick and droll and some was unashamedly borrowed from Disneyland’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride. Alas, my hearties, when I think of this movie experience in total it was clearly a loud, colorful, and sometimes humorous celluloid bridge to keep Jack Sparrow present in our minds to get you from the original in 2003 to the soon-to-be-released continuation in 2007.
On the R&R Scale (1-10)
7 for Script: Clever quips and ironic humor.
7 for Direction: The quality of camera work made up for overwhelming action that eventually numbed you.
8 for Acting: Depp, great; everyone else really good.
5 for Plot: Several plot elements had a stitched-together feel.
7 for Entertainment Value: For an Action Adventure.
6.8 Overall
