After “Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl” came out in 2003 becoming a critical and commercial success, Disney green-lit two sequels titled, “Dead Man’s Chest” & “At World’s End” hoping to capitalize on the s ideas of “The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy” with their own hiring The Cast & Crew back to roam The Black Pearl. After filming for both sequels were done back-to-back, Disney took their time polishing final touches. Dead Man’s Chest is first severed on the menu.
“Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” was released in 2006. (same year Babel came out) Unlike the first film, Dead Man’s Chest received mixed reviews from critics. Regardless of divisive reactions, it ultimately became the highest grossing film of 2006 earning a grand total of $1 billion. At World’s End later came out in 2007. Two more sequels titled, “On Stranger Tides” & Dead Men Tell No Tales” were released in 2011 & 2018.
Disney’s upcoming “Jungle Cruise” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson & Emily Blunt, will be released on July 30th. Which is Christopher Nolan’s birthday. I’d like to share if Dead Man’s Chest is either a yay or nay before Jungle Cruise comes out.
I don’t care if SPOILERS are listed. We’ve already seen Dead Men’s Chest told in parodies, memes and a Lego themed video game. Is it yay or nay? Let’s find out shall we?
Rich & Poor Aspects
Rich: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Kevin McNally, Lee Arenberg, Mackenzie Cook, Jack Davenport & Jonathan Pryce reprise their roles and they all did a fantastic job for their respective performances.
Newcomers to the series such as Bill Nighy, Stellan Skarsgård & Naomie Harris all did a fantastic job for their respective performances.
Action Sequences are filled with sword fights, ships engaging in naval combat and creative stunts like the wheel scene.
Gore Verbinski did a decent job directing.
Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio both wrote the script.
Jerry Bruckheimer produced the second installment.
Fun Fact: This is the first time Disney introduced their current logo.
Practical Effects were used to create action scenes, stunts, ships among a few things.
Humor is filled with visual gags and witty dialogue courtesy of Jack.
Costume Designs are made reflecting each character’s personality. Especially Jack.
Visual Effects brought Davy Jones & his crew to life with Bill wearing a motion capture suit. Designers added final touches completing Bill’s transformation as Davy.
Davy is arguably my favorite villain of the series. Unlike Lord Beckett, Davy has an interesting tragic backstory making him a three dimensional character, not a rampaging monster.
Chemistry between Will & Elizabeth continues to grow.
Cinematography was shot pretty good without having any technical flaws.
Hans Zimmer orchestrated the soundtrack. He later composed At World’s End & On Stranger Tides.
The Kraken is based on the giant octopus from “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.”
Dead Man’s Chest is set immediately after the first movie. Jack is in debt, he must find Davy Jones’ chest containing his heart. His goal is to overthrow him in order to avoid being sent to Davy Jones’ locker. The equivalent of being trapped between Heaven & Hell known as “Purgatory.”
Will’s goal is to find the chest and free his father Bootstrap from Davy.
Norrington’s goal to find the chest is to get his job back.
Will said, “I can do this all day.” Chris Evans later uses this line as Captain America.
Elizabeth disguises herself as a boy to search for Will going full “Domino.” Wait a minute. Elizabeth pretending to be a boy reminds me of “Mulan.” I see what you did there Disney.
Tia Dalma plays a key role in both Dead Man’s Chest & At World’s End assisting Jack & his crew.
Pintel & Ragetti are now mortal, after escaping prison they’re reformed and assist Jack. They used their catchphrase, ” Hello poppet.” The pair provide comic relief.
Jack’s magic compass plays a key role.
Davy’s locket resembles the heartless logo from the “Kingdom Hearts” franchise.
Speaking of Kingdom Hearts, Jack chats with his crew about how a key is used to open an important box. I must’ve been the only one snickering.
I’m not making this up. Johnny’s pal and frequent collaborator Tim Burton, designed concept art for Davy’s ship, “The Flying Dutchman.”
My favorite line is Jack’s “I got a jar of dirt.” Johnny actually improvised his dialogue. You can tell Orlando & Keira were puzzled on set. Johnny definitely earns an Extra Point for giving me a chuckle.
I’m gonna confess, this film introduced me to the game, “Liar’s Dice.” At first, I thought it was made up. The game was also used as a mini-game for “Read Dead Redemption.”
I snickered when Jack called Elizabeth, “Lizzie.” Does “Lizzie McGuire” ring any bells? Too bad a potential revival on Disney Plus was cancelled, due to COVID-19.
Norrington takes Davy’s heart. He gives it to one of the most despicable villains in cinema, Lord Beckett. Thus, the stakes further escalate. You thought Buck Cluck from “Chicken Little” was a bad father? Get a load of this tyrannical warlord lacking redeeming qualities whatsoever.
Geoffrey Rush makes a cameo appearance reprising his role as Barbossa. Setting up the third film beginning his search for his old foe Jack with assistance from Will, Elizabeth & The Black Pearl crew.
A Post-Credits Scene is optional to watch. It’s basically a prison dog selected by the islanders to eat.
Poor: Remember that scene with Jack using a pole (literally tied up) to vault his way from Point A to Point B? After a stack of fruit fall on the bottom of the pole, Jack falls hundreds of feet like Wile E. Coyote capable of cheating death. I’m letting this con slide, because Jack is already in debt, think of it as a temporary power up. Davy refuses to let Jack give up, until he owes him big time.
At first, Jack cowardly rows away from The Kracken tearing The Black Pearl. He somehow manages to row his way back. In real life, it’ll take several minutes for him to get back on the ship.
The Final Verdict: A-
From my point of view, “Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” is a yay and my second favorite of the series. The Curse Of The Black Pearl is my personal favorite, while At World’s End is my third favorite. If you want to introduce your kids to Pirates Of The Caribbean, watch all the films in chronological order.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 