Pirates Of The Caribbean –
Dead Man’s Chest (2-Disc Special Edition/DVD-Video)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: B+ Film: B-
Arrrggh! Here ye be havin' another sequel. Under review here we have Pirates of the Caribbean (2) - Dead Man’s
Chest (2006) to observe what bounty it has to reap. Essentially though the first Pirates of the Caribbean film had a
large budget the general public and critics alike were not expecting the film
to be the huge success it was, in the end bringing an overflowing monetary gain
along with marketing rewards for the Disney Studio. With an all star cast of Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands), Orlando Bloom (Lord of the Rings Trilogy), and Keira
Knightley (Bend it like Beckham) the
studio laid the groundwork for a great film, but with a script loosely based on
a Disney World animatronics ride the future was foggy for the film concept.
With a
wonderful cast, stellar writing team and talented director Pirates of the Caribbean - Curse of the Black Pearl was an enormous
success and a sequel (now to be trilogy) was most certain. Where the first film had to prove itself to
be above a simplistic childhood ride, the sequel (as with most sequels) had to
live up to and go beyond its predecessor, both in the areas of script and box
office sales. Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man’s Chest was surely a box office
smash grossing an array of box office records world wide, but was the storyline
adequate and did it bring the thrills of Pirates 1? Pirates
of the Caribbean - Dead Man’s Chest reunited the entire cast from the first
film (even smaller characters and unexpected ones) and embodied many similar
concepts that the first film established, which fans loved, but failed with its
large budget to capture the hearts and minds of fans to the of degree the first
film. The film was action packed and was
full of the swashbuckling nature of the first film, but in the end the
character of Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) which was new, creative, and refreshing
in the Curse of the Black Pearl became old and annoying. With a running time of 2.5 hours the film
drags with its tedious action sequences and unnecessary dialogue to display
expensive (though impressive) CGI scenes.
The film
starts on Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swan’s (Keira Knightley)
wedding day, where the evil enforcer of the East India Trading Company, Lord
Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) threatens to execute the pair along with James
Norrington (Jack Davenport) for aiding Jack Sparrow in his escape and exploits. Will Turner cuts a deal that he will find
Jack Sparrow and his compass (that Beckett desires) if his life, as well as his
bride’s, are spared. With the exchange
of desired goods the journey begins.
Will finds Jack and his ship grounded on an island of cannibals that
have captured Jack’s crew while making Jack their Chief. In a daring escape Jack and his crew and Will
Turner escape. The story continues to
slowly unwind involving the evil crustacean/humanoid Davy Jones, as well as
Davy Jones cursed/enslaved crew, and Will Turner’s long lost father (also Davy
Jones Slave) Bootstrap Bill Turner. Davy
Jones’ ship, The Flying Dutchman, is basically Hell on water, the crew owing
Jones a debt of 100 years service. As
the film develops (using that term loosely) an array of twists and turns arise
with new and old characters alike, ranging from a voodoo priestess to stuffy
politicians. Certain aspects of the film
do bring a smile to the face, with many references to the first film and just
great action sequences. In the end, the
film was enjoyable but not ground a breaking pirate film like the first, more
like a shadow of the true film.
The
technicals on the double disc set are quite good, as has been common with most
big Disney Releases. The 2-disc set also
offers a great deal of extras beyond the single disc release. The picture is presented in an 2.35 X 1 anamorphic Widescreen that is clear with
balanced colors, though light/dark issues arise from time to time in the
transfer due to the technique of filming that is intentionally gritty at time
to give a aged feel. The sound is
presented in an adequate Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound that is crisp with
minimal high/low errors. The extras are
beyond belief, due to the shear amount that exist, though it is not recommended
by this reviewer to partake in, in one sitting due to the monotony at times.
The
extras include full length audio commentary by screenwriters Ted Elliot and
Terry Rossio, Bloopers of the Caribbean,
Mastering the Blade: Sword Fighting with
the Film’s Stars, Charting the
Return: A Preproduction Diary, According
to Plan: Journal of Filming the Movie, Captain
Jack: From Head to Toe secrets and legends revealed by Johnny Depp &
others, Meet Davy Jones: Discover the
Creation, Mystery, and Mythology of the Sea's, Ghostly Ruler, Creating the
Kraken, Dead Men Tell New Tales:
Re-Imagineering the Attraction, Fly
on the Set: The Bone Cage, Jerry
Bruckheimer: A Producer's Photo Diary and Pirates on Main Street: The Dead Man's Chest Premiere.
With over
5 hours of extras fans of the Pirates films are sure to be impressed. Though this reviewer is impressed with the
amount of time that was put into the Bonus Features some run-on to the point of
boredom for the viewer, but at the same time some are very interesting. Two featurettes in particular that were
amazing were ‘Fly on the Set: The Bone Cage’ describing the process of how the
bone cage scene was performed and the ‘Creating the Kraken’ featurette was
impressive with a combination of CGI and huge, metal, mechanical arms crushing
ships the experience was overall impressive.
Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead
Man’s Chest,
which seems to have a double meaning being a physical chest (as in treasure
chest) as well as a person’s chest, due to Davy Jones’ missing his heart from
his chest making him dead physically and emotionally. The film was fun, enjoyable, and this
reviewer can not wait until the third and ‘final’ chapter in the film
series. If you are a fan or want to get
a great gift splurge on the 2-disc set (the one disc is just not as good),
between being an entertaining film and having a plethora of extras this DVD is
a rounded and excellent purchase. Throw
on your hat, strap up your boots, and pretend to be Keith Richards and prepare
for a swashbuckling adventure.
- Michael P Dougherty II
