PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN
DEAD MAN'S CHEST 
Starring:
Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport, Jonathan Pryce,
Mackenzie Crook, Lee Arenberg, Tom Hollander, Naomie Harris, Stellan Skarsgård,
Kevin McNally and Bill Nighy
Director:
Gore Verbinski
Running Time:
150 mins
Out to buy on DVD 20/11/06
"You owe me your soul"
When Will Turner's (Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann's (Knightley) wedding is interrupted by their arrest by Lord Cutler Beckett (Hollander) of the East India Company, both of them are sentenced to death for helping a known pirate escape justice. Beckett offers Will a chance to save his and Elizabeth's life however, all he has to do is persuade Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) to give him his mystical compass. Jack has his own problems however, after thirteen years Davey Jones (Nighy) is calling in his debt for making him the Captain of the Black Pearl but the price is his soul.
Finding box office treasure with the 'Curse of the Black Pearl', Disney and mega producer Jerry Bruckheimer were bound to want a sequel but instead of one we get two.
After taking a risk by basing a movie on a theme park ride, the unparalleled success of the first movie came as a surprise to everyone except everyone who was involved in the film. Pirate movies were seen as the kiss of death but it was the characters and the sense of adventure that drew audiences in and made it a firm family favourite. Because of this a sequel was inevitable but to the fans delight and like 'Back to the Future' and 'The Matrix', Disney greenlit not one but two sequels to be filmed simultaneously. The problem is that it has the same problems as second films in both of those trilogies.
'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' is the middle act of a much bigger story. Linking the first and setting up the third film, the movie suffers from a lack of a complete, standalone story that actually reduces your enjoyment of the film. The movie feels like a stopgap, a way of just getting us to the third movie. Characters get little chance to grow and the reasons for plot points are not completely explained, which will disappoint fans and makes for a movie that loses far too much of its potential.
The film does have some good things going for it however. The characters are just as likeable as ever, with all your favourites from the first movie returning. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley return to please the younger fans of the emerging franchise and their action quota is upped a up notch or five. Keira Knightley gets the most to do, enjoying her chance to show her skill with a blade. Lee Arenberg and Mackenzie Crook return to provide the comedy as the now mortal Pintel and Ragetti. Jonathan Pryce and Jack Davenport have smaller roles as Governor Swann and the former commandant Norrington. It is Johnny Depp who steals the show again however as Captain Jack Sparrow. This is a role that he completely revels in, proving again that he is one of the most talented actors currently working in cinema and a legend in the making.
There are also some new characters that are bound to become firm favourites. Talented British actress Naomie Harris gets her chance to shine as Voodoo priestess Tia Dalma. Fellow British star in the making Tom Hollander, is suitably despiseable as Lord Cutler Beckett. It is a barely recognisable Bill Nighy that steals the show however the octopus faced Davey Jones. A combination of makeup and computer graphics, Davey Jones is an amazing creation but it would be nothing without the performance of Nighy. The mild mannered actor really has some fun with the character and creates someone who is definitely the most memorable of the film.
As well as the creation of Davey Jones, the film is filled with some amazing visual effects treats that fans of the franchise will be salivating for. Jones' crew are a combination of sea creatures and man, with their bodies riddled with shark heads, seaweeds, shells and starfish. The biggest effect however is Davey Jones' 'pet', the Kraken. This huge, tentacled creature has an appetite for ships and pirates, as it does it master bidding while terrorising the sea.
'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' is slightly disappointing compared to the original. It is the plot and the fact that it is the middle part of a bigger story that lets the film down. So many plot points are thrown at you with no resolution in this movie that it just like watching the middle episode of a three part mini series but instead of having to wait a week to watch the conclusion, you have to wait a year. The film might be better after the third movie is released but at the moment it is little for that an introduction to the next chapter. The treasure isn't quite found yet?
PICTURE & SOUND
Presented in Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.
BONUS FEATURES
Disc 1
Audio Commentary
Writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio provide a reflective commentary that
allows them to provide many behind the scenes secrets. They reveal the problems
they had in writing a follow up to a movie that they considered a standalone
movie (Curse of the Black Pearl) and the problems that became apparent in
making it a trilogy. They also respond to the criticism of the structure
movie and the accessibility of second movie to those people who haven't
seen the first. This is a decent commentary from the two people who have
reinvigorated the pirate movie.
Bloopers of the Caribbean (3.42 mins)
Watch your favourite cast members make a hash of their lines and have fun
on set of the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Trailers
Watch previews of 'Déjà vu' and 'The Guardian'
Disc 2
Charting the Return (24.38 mins)
Director Gore Verbinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, associate producer
Peter Kohn, writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, executive Bruce Hendricks
and production designer Rick Heinrichs talk about the problems that occurred
during the pre-production of the second Pirates movie. Starting in October
2004, we discover the production had no script, studio and budget problems.
The featurette also takes you behind the scenes of the casting of the extras
and the building of the sets in LA and Dominica.
According to Plan (60.29 mins)
Director Gore Verbinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, associate producer
Peter Kohn, writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, production designer Rick
Heinrichs, executive producers Chad Oman and Eric McLeod and stars Johnny
Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport, Martin Klebba and
Lee Arenberg take you behind the scenes of the production the second Pirates
movie. The cast and crew talk about making back-to-back sequels. Here we
see them shooting in Los Angeles, St Vincent and Dominica and the some of
the problems that occurred filming in the Caribbean. This is fascinating
documentary that shows that even the biggest movies can have problems and
reveal how much work goes into a huge budget movie.
Captain Jack: From Head to Toe (26.35 mins)
Costume designer Penny Rose, property master Kristopher E. Peek, make-up
artist Ve Neill and star Johnny Depp take us through what it takes to become
Captain Jack Sparrow. Here we look at his costume including his hat, coat,
shirt, boots, sword, scarf and belt and we also see his the design of his
look including his beard, hair and teeth. Mastering the Blade Watch Orlando
Bloom, Keira Knightley and Jack Davenport train for the sword fighting scenes
for 'Dead Man's Chest'
Meet Davy Jones: Anatomy of a Legend (12.35 mins)
Director Gore Verbinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, executive producer
Bruce Hendricks, ILM animation director Hal Hickel, visual effects art director
Aaron McBride, visual effects supervisor John Knoll and stars Bill Nighy
and Keira Knightley reveal how the legendary Davy Jones was brought to the
silver screen. From the performance capture techniques used to map Bill
Nighy's on set movements and facial expressions to the CGI effects used
to create the sea captain's face, the featurette reveals how they produced
one of the most amazing CG animated creations ever to grace the silver screen.
Creating the Kraken (9.59 mins)
Director Gore Verbinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, producer Jerry Bruckheimer,
associate producer Peter Kohn, writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, visual
effects supervisor John Knoll and stars Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and
Lee Arenberg talk about the myth of the legendary sea creature and how it
was created for Dead Man's chest.
Dead Men tell no tales: Re-imagining the Attraction (12.27 mins)
Director Gore Verbinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, senior creative Walt
Disney imagineer Tom Fitzgerald and legendary imagineer X. Atencio take
you behind the scenes of the enhancement of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean'
ride at Disneyland.
Fly on the set (The Bone Cage) (3.40 mins)
B-Roll footage of the Bone cage escape from the cannibal island
Pirates on Main Street: The Dead Man's Chest Premiere (3.49 mins)
Go behind the scenes of the longest red carpet in the history of Hollywood
at 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' premieres at Disneyland.
Jerry Bruckheimer: A Producer's Photo Diary (4.30 mins)
View a montage of images taken by the world's most famous producer on the
set of Pirates 2.
OVERALL
Disney has done a fantastic job with the DVD treatment of 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'. Filled to the brim with bonus features, this is a DVD package that has everything a fan needs to know about the production of a major Hollywood movie. This is certainly a treasure trove of extras!
DVD
