| Bilgi :
A good film always starts with good writing.
People used to say comic books weren't filmable, but smart
scripting has developed them into a respected genre. Skimpy
children's books have been fleshed out into quality
entertainment, and someday they'll finally make a decent movie
based on a video game. Hey, why not use a soft drink
commercial as inspiration? Because if they can make a
blockbuster inspired by an old and dank Disneyland theme
park ride, I'm convinced anything's possible if written
well.
Few thought 2003's Pirates of the
Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl would be a hit,
but it was one of the year's most pleasant surprises—a funny,
swashbuckling thrill ride that ultimately grossed more than
$650 million worldwide. And now, few think that a sequel can
possibly match that success or yield an equally amusing
film.
Think again. Expectations are surpassed once
again with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest,
a film that not only lives up to its predecessor, but elevates
it into a delightful saga that falls somewhere between the
classic Indiana Jones films and the more recent Mummy
movies.
 Johnny Depp returns in the lead
role as the quirky-but-fun Jack Sparrow
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What many people don't realize is that
writers Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio (Shrek and 1998's
similarly swashbuckling The Mask of Zorro) envisioned
Pirates as a trilogy. With the success of the first
movie, the next two chapters were ensured, filming
back-to-back to save on production costs—yes, Dead Man's
Chest is a cliffhanger to be concluded next summer.
Moreover, the people responsible for the first movie have all
returned—not just Elliot, Rossio, and the lead actors, but
producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Gore Verbinski, and most
of the supporting players as well.
Our story begins with Elizabeth Swann (Keira
Knightley), whose wedding day is rained upon literally and
figuratively when both she and her heroic groom, Will Turner
(Orlando Bloom), are arrested by Cutler Beckett (Tom
Hollander), a representative of the East India Trading
Company, for aiding and abetting in the escape of one Captain
Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp)—as you might remember from the
ending of the first movie. The penalty is death, but Beckett
is willing to make a deal with Turner—find Sparrow, retrieve
his mysterious compass, and the young lovers will earn a full
pardon.
 Will (Orlando Bloom) and
Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) never know what they'll run
into
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With no alternative, Turner accepts and
searches for Sparrow a la Heart of Darkness. Meanwhile,
the eccentric pirate has been keeping busy in search of a
certain special key. It seems he owes his soul to none other
than Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), the monstrously tentacled devil
of the sea who bargains with dying sailors to gain their
servitude with his mutated crew of half-men, half-sea
creatures. Why did Sparrow strike the deal? What does the key
open? And how is Will's presumed dead father, "Bootstrap" Bill
Turner (Stellan Skarsgard), involved in all of this?
Finding these answers and others is part of
the fun, and we're not meant to discover them all in this
film. For sure, it doesn't all make sense (yet), but it's
enough to be caught up in the ride as it progresses. Dead
Man's Chest moves at a brisk pace like a Saturday morning
matinee and the Indiana Jones movies. It starts off a little
slow, and it's not wall-to-wall action, but I was never bored
and still wanted more after nearly two-and-a-half hours.
Much of the film's charm comes from its tight
blend of adventurous derring-do with Python-esque slapstick.
Sparrow makes another funny entrance in this movie, and I
honestly couldn't stop laughing for minutes after he gives
special payment for information from a mysterious voodoo lady.
Fans of the series should also stay through the end credits
for a parting laugh involving the fate of a "key character" to
the series.
 Our heroes run into one
mis-adventure after another
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Half the humor also comes from the
ridiculously over-the-top but well-staged action sequences.
Building upon the playful sword-fighting of the first film,
Dead Man's Chest features a thrilling three-way duel
that's part Princess Bride and part Road Runner,
culminating in a sort of free-for-all shell game as you try to
decide who's swindling who.
The stunts and special effects live up to
summer blockbuster standards as well. Particularly effective
is the blend of makeup with CGI for Davy Jones' octopus face
and his similarly creepy looking crew. And you can bet people
will be buzzing all summer about the Kraken, a gigantic
tentacled beast that snatches scores of terrified sailors
while crushing their ships—more horrific than the famed giant
squid of Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and
convincingly rendered with the same quality as the creatures
of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
I would caution parents to heed the PG-13
rating here. Like The Empire Strikes Back, this second
chapter is considerably darker than its predecessor, though
not as much as, say, Indiana Jones and the Temple of
Doom. The creatures are more vicious in this, the makeup
more frightening, and there's a cannibalistic tribe that's
mostly played for laughs despite presenting a necklace of
severed toes. The story also revels more in folklore and
legend between the tribe's worship practices, the mythology
surrounding Davy Jones, and a creepy voodoo lady that seems to
have all the answers. Gruesome as it all sounds, most of it is
carried with the air of a haunted house around Halloween—it
never takes itself too seriously.
 There's something snaky about
that Davy Jones guy
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The series does adore its characters, though,
and none more than Jack Sparrow, perhaps the most iconic new
film character of this millennium thus far. Depp has
masterfully made the role his own, developing it into
something rich, quirky, memorable and truly unique. A sly
chauvinist, yet almost a little fey with his charisma, it's a
performance that captures your attention every time he's on
screen, despite the character's disgusting hygiene. There's
something about that mischievous glint in his eye and the way
he can garner a laugh with a worried facial expression or even
a mere grunt of frustration.
Depp's the standout, but let's not
shortchange the rest of the cast. They all play their parts
with equal measures of bravado and comedy. These roles work
well in the context of the story, as does everyone else from
the lowliest pirate to the snobbiest nobleman. Many have said
that Will is too much a straight arrow, Elizabeth too much the
feisty modern woman, and their romance too ignored. And yet I
can't help but compare the chemistry of the three leads with
that of another famed trio involving a hero, princess, and
scoundrel that sidetracked some of its romantic potential in
favor of humor and space action.
Not to say that this is as good as the
original Star Wars trilogy, but it does create the same
sort of fun thrill ride that used to be the norm during the
summer movie season. In spite of its small shortcomings,
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest deserves
praise for making an old-fashioned popcorn movie that knows
how to entertain. Audiences may have been doubtful of the
first movie, and perhaps a little skeptical of this one, but
you can bet they'll be clamoring for Pirates of the
Caribbean: At World's End come May 2007. |