Starring: Johnny Deep, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom
Director: Gore Verbinski
Rated: M
IT’S probably best to say first that the sequel to the popular Pirates of the Caribbean runs for two and a half hours.
In a cinema foyer recently I overheard two little boys (six and eight or thereabouts) standing by the giant poster for the film telling their father that they wanted to see Captain Jack Sparrow.
It looks as though Jack Sparrow is a cinema icon for old and very young alike. But, at 151 minutes, parents need to be warned that concentration might not hold up and there may be need for toilet breaks.
Having got the practical advice out of the way, we can say that Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is a jolly and rollicking show with some grim bits scattered throughout – which again may be a bit much for the littlies.
Though, when you come to think of it, Robert Louis Stevenson was no slouch at including grim bits in one of the most popular books and films about pirates, Treasure Island. Long John Silver was certainly no saint.
The popularity and huge box office returns of the 2003 original were a bit of a surprise.
Johnny Depp had proven that he could do all kinds of roles from the eccentric fantasy of Edward Scissorhands to his undercover agent Donnie Brasco.
But, his creation of the more than slightly barmy Captain Jack Sparrow, two-timing, mincing, over-literate, coward and hero, won him Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. (He also explained that he modelled his performance on Keith Richards who has been persuaded to appear in the third episode as Jack’s father.)
So, it is welcome back Captain Jack. Johnny Depp gives the role all he’s got.
While he is glad to get his ship, “The Black Pearl”, back, he runs foul of some bloodthirsty natives who think he is a god.
Unfortunately for him, he also wants a key that will open the Dead Man’s Chest which contains the heart of Davy Jones who, with his crew, is condemned to sail the seven seas for a hundred years like the Flying Dutchman.
In case that wasn’t enough plot, the screenwriters have thrown in the giant sea squid, the Kracken, which rises out of the depths to swallow ships – and Captain Jack.
As well, there is the interrupted wedding of William and Elizabeth (Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, who are much more famous than in 2003) and their arrest for aiding Jack in his escape.
Imprisoned by the loathsome head of the East India Company (a more than suitably sneering Tom Hollander), they are due for execution unless William finds the key and the chest.
During his search he discovers his father, a victim sailor on Davy Jones’ ship (Stellan Skarsgaard) who is prepared to gamble his life for eternity if William can escape.
Add to that the fate of Elizabeth’s father, a Voodoo seer and pirate attacks on trading ships and you have plot galore.
Just as Geoffrey Rush was the sinister Captain Barossa in the first film, a supernaturally challenged blend of ghost and human with his deadly crew, so now Bill Nighy is the spectral Davy Jones – with an octopus sprouting from his chin, but more than handy for him to play the organ.
His deadly ship and barnacled crew are part of the expert make-up for the film. The sets and costumes are also first class as are the special effects.
The film reaches a climax with the disappearance of Jack Sparrow and the resurrection of Captain Barossa, so this review has to be inconclusive.
It is a “to be continued …” as the third film was made along with the second and is in post-production for May 2007!
