PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:
DEAD MAN’S CHEST

BY CHRISTOPHER HASKELL
MAY 14, 2011

More so a vehicle to launch the next film, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” brings much less to the table than “Curse of the Black Pearl.” Without “Dead Man’s Chest,” however, the third film (“At World’s End”) would not pack as big of a punch, which makes “Dead Man’s Chest” a much less desirable film on its own but makes the trilogy, as a whole, much more powerful.

The one thing that “Dead Man’s Chest” keeps consistent is the quality of the characters (for the most part). Barbossa’s villainy void gets replaced with the captain of the Flying Dutchmen, Davey Jones, played astonishingly by Bill Nighy. Having seen Nighy in previous films, the role of Davey Jones is a massive leap in his career, and I had no idea it was him until the credits, which is an enormous testament to his performance level. I am always taken aback by the quality that comes from certain actors in villainous roles.

Apart from the continued brilliance of the villains, “Dead Man’s Chest” drops the ball in just about every aspect I loved about the first film. For starters, “Curse of the Black Pearl” never felt (for lack of a better term) Walt Disney. I never felt like I was watching a live-action “Peter Pan” (aka “Hook”). The first film presented itself in an adult manner, with extensive dialogue and fight scenes representative of a blockbuster action film. “Dead Man’s Chest” loses all of that.

The dialogue is childish, with Jack Sparrow appearing to be a grade school in the sandbox, spouting dialogue like “I’ve got a jar of dirt, I’ve got a jar of dirt” in a taunting, childish way. And this is just the tip of the iceberg, as the writers completely take away the sense that Sparrow knows what he is doing deep down and makes him no match for even Elizabeth Swan. Sparrow is essentially helpless and constantly running away from either Davey Jones, the cannibals, or the Kracken.

The sword fight scenes scream Walt Disney as well. Eventually, in the hunt for Davey Jones’s heart, Jack Sparrow, William Turner, and the down-and-out James Norrington (no longer Commodore) face off in a battle over the organ itself. With Elizabeth Swan pouting like a child and the “comic relief” crew of Pintel and Ragetti making off with the chest, the three leading men sword fight down the beach. What results is one of the worst, most unrealistic sword fights I have ever seen. On top of a water wheel that breaks off, Norrington and Turner battle to what would be the death had this not been a Walt Disney film, balancing on the wheel as it rolls. Even if I could suspend my disbelief for this, they eventually fall inside and roll down the hill in pure slapstick comedy style.

Meanwhile, the childish Jack Sparrow is blundering his way to getting the key which he keeps losing, and upon getting stuck in the wheel, you eventually just quit caring about him. If this were Charlie Chaplin, I might care about this portion of the film, but I could have cared less. Though meant to be utterly ridiculous, this entire sequence caused me to lose respect for the whole venture.

This film has gorgeous scenes, but they all appear irrelevant when the story suffers so much. Compared to the original movie, there truly is no comparison. The second film remains childish regardless of how many stellar shots or performances are present. Without a compelling and realistic story, the film lost me.

The action sequences scream Walt Disney and the writers appear to be bent on completely emasculating Capt. Jack Sparrow with childish dialogue and no sense of direction. I do love the new villain of Davey Jones and am astonished at the performance by Bill Nighy. “Dead Man’s Chest” definitely leaves much to be desired, but in the grand scheme of the franchise, I can overlook the bad parts. However, for a stand-alone film, it just does not work. Even if you do not like the movie, the last few minutes of the film remain my favorite part of “Dead Man’s Chest” and truly clinches you for the final leap into the last movie of the original trilogy.