Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Well, as I wrote a very average review of the first POTC flick in the trilogy a week ago, it took me a full week to find the motivation of watching the second.

First off, after watching the first two films of this trilogy, it really makes me wonder why in the world they felt the need to make three. Oh, wait, yeah, money, that's right. The Godfather is a classic series, as is Star Wars. The Matrix trilogy told a story and needed the three films in order to tell that story. There was really no NEED for three films in the Shrek series, but each is different in their own way, with added characters, and unique storylines of their own. About five hours into the POTC trilogy, we're right back to where we started just about. Wouldn't that be a rip-off? If, through the third installment of the trilogy, 7 1/2 hours in and how ever many dollars it cost to view the three films, we're about right back to where we started with the first of the three?

But, enough of that. On with the review. As usual, Johnny Depp was his masterful self. He alone makes this (and just about any other film he's in) watchable. But, unlike the first film, there was slightly more to keep the viewer in tune than Depp's performance as Keith Richards, I mean, Jack Sparrow.

For some reason (don't ask me why), I enjoyed the variety of fight scenes and special effects in this installment more so than the first. There were plenty of sword fights in the first film, but not much in terms of variety. If you saw one sword fight, you about saw them all. That wasn't the case in Dead Man's Chest, where ocean creatures, such as one Davey Jones, made their presence known. With that came some rather impressive special effects sequences. So, as far as pace and action is concerned, it was similar to the first, but with more variety, which kept me more interested throughout.

As far as acting goes, more was asked of Keira Knightley in Dead Man's Chest than in Curse of the Black Pearl. While she's a pleasure to look at, her performance was not so admirable. There were times when it appeared as if she was the host of Saturday Night Live or a guest on The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. She didn't appear to be comfortable in her role at all, except for a few moments. There were times I had to just look away, shake me head, and give a goofy look (probably reminiscent of her's in the film), like, "What the heck was that all about?" Orlando Bloom was a little better in this film than in the first, I thought, acting wise. He was fine in the fighting scenes in Curse of the Black Pearl, but could have improved on the acting bit and he did somewhat in Dead Man's Chest. There were a couple parts where I wasn't so impressed, but I won't complain too much. He improved. I'm just thankful for that. Overall, though, I thought the acting was a step down from the first film. This is mainly due to Knightley and her father drives me nuts too. I don't even know his name as an actor, but I'm not sure that I even want to know. The Commodore was rather irritating, as well.

As far as storyline, there really isn't much depth in this series, so I don't think there was much to build on from the first film. The plot was much less monotonous, though. There was some monotony here and there, but compared to the first, which was a Ben Stein impersonator, the second was a Ben Stein impersonator on speed and jolt cola.

Overall, I don't think it's a great film or series, for that matter. I have a feeling I'll be waiting until the third (and hopefully last) film in the series comes out on video. But, do to what happened toward the end of Dead Man's Chest, I am more curious to see the third than I was to see the second. However, if Depp's role is limited in the third film due to what happened at the tail-end of the first, then I may change my mind on wanting to see it at all. I don't understand why critics gave the first film such superior reviews to the second, but I'm going to disagree with them, if only ever so slightly.

Grade: 5.5/10 - With below average acting, especially from Keira Knightley, I had to dock the film some. While I felt it's superior to the first in its musical score, special effects, and plot, I feel that overall, it's just a slightly above average film in what has been an average series thus far. But, it did make me more curious to see the third and final installment than the first made me curious to see the second.