Review by Rocky Balboa

Back in the early summer of 2003, Pirates of the Caribbean was more of a joke than a highly anticipated summer blockbuster. Sure, it was the director of The Ring and uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer, but there were a whole lot more what-ifs. First and foremost was that the pirate genre was long-since dead. The last major entry into the genre was Cutthroat Island, and we all know how that went. Besides that, Pirates was based on a ride, never a very good sign for a rich storyline. The Country Bears movie had tanked just a few months prior. Finally, almost the whole cast was a question mark. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley were up-and-coming, but Bloom was best known for looking quite different as an elf and Keira was that hot British chick from some soccer movie. Critics love Johnny Depp, but he never had the box office clout to carry a blockbuster.

Suddenly, something changed. Critics started seeing Pirates and they loved it. It was a rollicking adventure-epic, a return to the action-driven popcorn films of matinee idols like Errol Flynn. The action was fun, the sets were exceptional, and the supporting characters were wildly original and fun. But reason number one that Pirates of the Caribbean worked was Johnny Depp's unforgettable characterization of Captain Jack Sparrow. The character broke Depp out as A-list star for the first time and immediately entered into the pop culture at large. Now, Pirates was a smash, audiences loved Sparrow and couldn't wait for more. After a billion dollars worldwide box office, the call came down from the mouse house: Two sequels, shot back-to-back.

So Jack's back, as is the rest of the crew, although this time in slightly more supporting roles. Sparrow isn't the whole movie, but Verbinski, Bruckheimer and writers Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio were smart enough to realize that Jack is the key component to all future Pirates movies.

Subtitled Dead Man's Chest, part two finds Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley) on the verge of holy matrimony when they are pulled back into another adventure with the always entertaining Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). Sparrow has a blood debt to on of the most feared and legendary pirates of the high seas, the great Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), who rules the ocean depths in the Flying Dutchman. Will and Elizabeth must first rescue Sparrow from a strange island where he has been mistaken for a God by a cannibalistic tribe who plan to make a meal out of the good captain and set his Earthly spirit free. From there, the adventure takes off as the trio must find the key to unlock a mysterious box known as the "Dead Man's Chest" sought by Davy Jones. If they accomplish the task, Jones will let Sparrow be. The supporting cast includes Naomie Harris as soothsayer Tia Dalma, Stellan Skarsgard as Will's pirate father, Bootstrap Bill, Jack Davenport as Commodore
Norrington, Tom Hollander as Lord Cutler Beckett and Jonathan Pryce as Weatherby Swan.

The first film took a little time grabbing hold of audiences. It was a bit of a slow build towards the reveal of Sparrow and those moments in which Sparrow was absent for long periods of time tended to drag just a bit. The film was a lot of fun, but overly long and, at times, a little unsure of its focus. Dead Man's Chest has no such issues. As stated above, Sparrow is the star. Swan and Turner are the straight men of the group, part of the adventure but always overshadowed by the Sparrow. Not necessarily a bad thing.

The film's opening portion takes place on an island where Sparrow has been thought a God and will soon become a meal if he isn't rescued soon. His entrance into the film is nearly as priceless as his intro in the first film, but we'll sidestep the moment so as not to give it away. Suffice to say, audiences will be pleased and amused. This island portion of the film is largely inconsequential to the whole of the film. Once the rest has been viewed, it's hard not to wonder what the point of the first 45 or so minutes really was in the context of the entire story. Still, these early moments are lighthearted and fun, a bit of comic relief before delving into the full epic storyline.
Once the real plotline develops, adding Davy Jones, Bootstrap Bill and returning favorites such as Pintel (Lee Arenberg), Ragetti (Mackenzie Crook) and of course that key-bearing mongrel, Dead Man's Chest really takes off.

The look of Davy Jones is a debated topic from the early trailer bits and still photos from the set. Half-man, half-octopus is a bit of a tough sell. Once audiences see the full version in the film, they should be won over. Full CG faces tend to make fanboys nervous and fearful of another Jar-Jar, but Jones' look is great. The movement is fluid and undeniably creepy. He's supposed to be mysterious and intimidating, and all of that comes across in his disturbing face. Added to that is Bill Nighy's strong performance, no small feet considering he had skin-tight blue spandex and dots all over his face as opposed to cast-mates adorned in true pirate garb to help them better get into the spirit.

What can be said about Depp as Sparrow that hasn't been said a 100 times before? If you loved Sparrow before, you will love him now. There's more of him to enjoy, and Depp has created such an entertaining character that it really doesn't matter what he's doing on screen, audiences are going to love watching him. He takes hold of the bigger-than-life - post-box office blockbuster, post-Oscar nomination - stature of the character and hits it out of the park.

Bloom and Knightley have there parts nipped a bit this time around, somewhat underdeveloped to make room for the bigger story, bigger sets and Sparrow-sized sequels. They fit well-enough, though at times their personal storyline seems a bit less interesting when matched again the great colorful characters like Davy Jones, Bootstrap Bill, Tia Dalma and so on.

Action-wise, Verbinski and crew have truly outdone themselves this time around. There are three major action set pieces and a lot of smaller supporting ones to keep things lively. The bone cage sequence essentially consists of our heroes trapped in large bone cages. To escape, they must carry the cages up the side of a cliff and then, well, you'll see. The scene is amusing and a lot of fun. The second is a personal favorite, a three-way sword fight on a large wheel. This could have easily been a quick bit that would still work well, but Verbinski carries this set piece to the utmost degree resulting in an action sequence that ranks amongst the greatest ever seen on screen. Finally, we have the film's big monster, the Krakken. This shall not be discussed in great detail to avoid spoilers, but it's gigantic, it works nicely due to some excellent CG work from the creative team, providing some of the film's most intense moments.

So what's wrong with Dead Man's Chest. Well, pretty much the same things that were wrong with the first film. It's entirely too long, coming in at 149 minutes, six minutes longer than the too-long original. There's a ton of story, some of which, as previously mentioned, is a bit unnecessary. Unfortunately, Verbinski and writers Elliot and Rossio tend to forget that these pirate movies are, at heart, popcorn flicks for summer audiences. They are easily amongst the best of the genre, but succinct storytelling is always preferable. Certain scenes drag, and at the final length, it's hard to figure why some elements aren't better-developed, such as the Will Turner pirate angle that was promised in the first film or the back story of Jack Sparrow - although I've heard we'll get more of both in part three.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is every bit as entertaining and fun as the original. It may even be just a tad bit better. The action certainly steps it up and delivers in a major way. There's more Sparrow, which is always a good thing. Yes, it's too long, but even the slowest moments offer strong story points that compliment the adventure-epic feel of the film. Fans of the original are going to love it, and a few who may have been bored by the lengthy development of the characters in the first are going to appreciate the quick intro in part two. Dead Man's Chest is going to rule the summer box office and keep fans salavating for part three.