*********SPOILER ALERT**********

[Rumba Rue]

North County Times:NC TIMES ENTERTAINMENT

C+ "Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest"

Starring: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Bill Nighy

Director: Gore Verbinski

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Rated: PG-13 (for intense sequences of adventure violence, including frightening images)

'Pirates' a long, noisy sink, but Depp brilliant anyway

By: DAN BENNETT - Staff Writer

The cool splash greeting visitors on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland has for nearly 40 years been welcome relief on blistering Anaheim days.

With the two POC films so far, the splash is a typhoon of blow-them-away spectacle, spitting on the storyline and attempting to drown its characters. The drenching prompts the quick question: Can we imagine how truly uninteresting these films would be without Johnny Depp's delightful performances?

Depp's heroic turns as Capt. Jack Sparrow remind of Cy Young Award-winning baseball pitchers on terrible teams, such as Randy Jones of the Padres or Steve Carlton of the Philadelphia Phillies in the '70s. Depp is a freak of nature in these films, rising above the tidal toilet of overload and steering them to safety.

"Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest" uses its mandate from the box-office success of the first film and treats it as a license to stomp until we drop. The story allows Sparrow a comic return from a floating coffin, but his troubles are just starting.

The Caribbean seas of these times are a mess, and for many reasons. Business types are instigating mainstream commerce, making it difficult for hard-working pirates to continue their good-natured pillaging and rum-guzzling. Worse, Jack finds himself owing a debt to the legendary Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), the dead sailor who toils on the ghostly ship Flying Dutchman. Unless Jack finds a way out of his latest mess, he will toil for eternity for the nasty Jones.

In the mix again are the feisty and lovely governor's daughter Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), engaged to the noble Will (Orlando Bloom). They, too, find themselves at the mercy of Jones and the ghastly ghosts who haunt his ship. Will is also trying to save his father (Stellan Skarsgard) from eternal captivity aboard the ghost ship.

The mutual opponent brings Jack, Elizabeth and Will together this time, the only solution to possess the magic chest Jones carries. Whoever holds the chest, holds the power. This pursuit leads the protagonists on adventures through land and sea, involving cliffs and cannibals, voodoo spells and awful smells, and the biggest challenge of all, the mystical sea monster Kraken, a multitentacled serpent bent on devouring the most precious of them.

Many of the familiar sidebar characters return for the latest adventure, mostly likable folks, often toothless and grimy, but as spirited as they are stinky.

Again, it's what Depp does with Jack that makes the 145-minute voyage swim. Depp modeled the character after Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, and it's a sweet homage. Swishy and mascara-laden, grungy and gold-toothed, Depp's Sparrow has become one of those least-likely sex symbol icons that pop into modern culture every now and then. He will pull the mat from under you as quickly as he will catch your fall, and you gotta appreciate the flair with which he exercises his utter moral ambiguity. Also, his cool hat.

Alas, as maybe they said in the pirate days, or maybe not, Sparrow isn't given enough screen time and opportunity to strut his stuff. "POC2" is far more concerned with effects and action sequences, some painstakingly handmade, some computer-generated. By the final action scenes, arriving in waves of bombast, men battle monsters and gooey ghosts on the high seas. The overload blows up our sensory circuits, and it's all too much except maybe for the most eager-eyed 13-year-old watching this kind of thing for the first time.

Reading the press kit for this film, one can only admire the hard work and sheer tenacity of the cast and crew, who spent a year in different locations, some tortuously hot and barely civilized, and gave their all shooting both this film and the third film in the trilogy, a likely arrival next summer.

If only such labor compacted to a two-hour thrill ride that also excited our minds and our spirit. As is, "Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest" is buckets of eye candy, nutrition shoved off the plank, except for that singular performance, again, almost saving the day.

[Phillip Black]

Thanks for posting the review Rumba...it only confirms my suspicions though...that PotC2 was going to be an over the top special effects fiasco...I'm not going to pass judgement until I see it myself, but this doesn't bode well.

[LadyBarbossa]

The Critics be damned!

Since when are they EVER right?! They trashed the Curse of the Black Pearl... and look what happened? It became a blockbuster hit! Critics suck and only know one thing... what they are taught at the freakin' film schools what is a "perfect" film. ::Rolls eyes::

My opinion... a perfect film is one that is enjoyed by even just one person.

Again, Critics be damned! For all I care, Davy Jones can come for their souls and force them to be the decor of the Flying Dutchman.

From what I have heard - not just from Billy Bones and Iron Bess - as a couple other folks saw an advanced screening and they said, and I quote one person, "all I will say at this time is OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!! It was AWESOME..."

Tonight... I see it at Midnight.

~Lady B

:angry:

[Rumba Rue]

I'm with Lady Barbossa on this. She is totally right. All the critics gave rotten reviews of POTC and looked what happened! My gawd we got pirates all over the place. Ain't it great? :angry:

[Mr_Scabbs]

You both are right. Movie critics are a dime a dozen. The only thing that sucks about them is that they often have the power to sway fence-sitters, who might otherwise have walked into the movie with a more open mind. All that said, not every review has been negative. I went to the IGN website, and here's their take on the film...

IGN: Pirates of the Caribbean 2 Movie Review

I'm not reading too much about the movie to avoid spoilers, but I just thought this review might be different from some of the others you may be seeing. Cheers, and have a Happy Friday...err...Jack Sparrow day.

[Black Syren]

Just based on the previews I think this will be a hit and will be better than the first. I will not see it tonight however Friends that I work with, my "crew" as it were will attend Friday night at nine in full garb and pass out gold coins to the kiddies.

I am on pins and needles to see this one and it will only whet my apetite to view the third one as well.

To Pirates of the Caribbean 1, 2 and Three!

[Animal]

My take on movie reviewers, who are they to give their opinion on anything??? I have heat heard ofor met any critic who has the qualifications to be one. Have any directed, produced or starred in a major production?? NO!!! The are film historians who made their names for themselves by being so full of themselves. I don't read reviews, watch reviews or listen to them. If it is bad, I'll see it in a heart beat. If it's good, you can't get me near it and I'll wait until it comes out in DVD.

Animal

[Story]

Saw the midnight showing.

Not the same as the first one, but still good. Go see it.

[Catseye Morgan]

I went to see it last night and have to say that I was completely blown away. It was one hell of a roller-coaster ride and the time just flew past. As soon as the credits started to roll, I wanted to go back and watch it all over again and I know for a fact that I'll be back for at least two more viewings!

And that critic skims a hell of a lot in his review (which does seem to be trying to be a little too clever for his own good. Sort of 'I'm above this kind of thing but the peasants will like it'. Pffft.). There are a lot of subtle bits weaving in and out of his sweeping statements that give the film a lot more weight. The fight scenes are outrageous, over the top and so much fun that I found myself having to stuff my hand in my mouth to stop from cheering.

Davy Jones is a tour de force and his crew are downright marvellous to behold. We find out a little bit more about Jack's past and the new baddie is the kind that makes me ache to see him get his comeuppance in the third part.

And the ending! I shan't spoil it for those of you that haven't seen it yet, but the ending had me wanting to jump up and scream from pure joy! (I don't mean the Sparrow ending, but the after the crisis ending.)

I'll have to stop here as I find myself wanting to say things like 'watch out for-' and 'keep an eye on-' and stuff like that. Suffice to say that I'm already starting to moan that I have another year to go before the next instalment!!!

[LadyBarbossa]

Just got back from the Midnight Showing here... all I can say is...

WOW!!!

What a hell of a ride!!

2 sold out showings here in Cedar Rapids and I think folks enjoyed it. :)

Will be back to see it in the morning.

WOW!!!

It rocked! Lots of twists and turns... hang on folks! For those of you who haven't seen it.. it's a wild ride!

~Lady B

[Catseye Morgan]

Did ye like the very last scene, Lady Barbossa?

[Captain_Jack_Sparrow]

I saw th'special sneak peek this evening at midnight...and I must agree with Lady B, it was one hell of a ride, and I plan on seeing it again this afternoon!

[MadMike]

WARNING! POSSIBLE PLOT SPOILERS!!!

Just saw the midnight showing...

I thought the movie started out exceptionally slow and the acting was stale. Many of the lines from the first movie rehashed, and some of the scenes (such as the water wheel) were absurd. The potential was there, however with the rehashed soundtrack and emphasis on Davey Jones and his creepy crew (and computer generated effects) the movie really didn't go anywhere for me personally.

Overall, it wasn't that great.

Yours, Mike

[Rogue Mermaid]

I also might skirt the line of SPOILERS!!!

I saw the midnight showing. Loved the movie, though I have to say there wasn't as much focus on the story as I would have liked. A little more about Davy Jones's back story would have been nice...maybe some flashbacks to his past would have made his character a bit more rounded. I think my $9.00 was well spent though (even though I'm sleep walking through work today).

Ending on a cliff hanger was just evil

It's funny, the first person I thought of at the end of the movie was Lady B.

[Christine]

Ya know, the majority of the reviews I have heard or read from friends and just whoever have all said about the same thing:

It was okay, fun, but not what I expected, the first one was better, I liked it, but it didn't have the same feel as the first one. Funny, but, just okay, etc....

But everyone loves the ending with Barbossa and the cliffhanger. Saying Barbossa is at the end isn't really a spoiler, by now, everyone knows he's in it and that's he's at the end. How funny tho how so far it's the ending people like and it's all about Barbossa! Oh, I love it so much! Barbossa rocks! Yay!

I can't wait to see it now, but I'll have to til next Friday the 14th. We have tickets at the El Capitan. That's a whole Disney day anyway when we head back to Disneyland for dinner at the Blue Bayou. Eh, good things come to those who wait, and I can't wait to see Barbossa again!

[Patrick Hand]

It's funny, the first person I thought of at the end of the movie was Lady B.

Yah... that's what I thought also...... figgured she'd wet herself when she sees that.... (I mean that in a good way... it just dosen't type out right...... )

[LadyBarbossa]

No, Patrick... close though. My heart was racing, but my breath was taken away and I had a huge shitty grin upon my face.

The ending is very wild.

But again, all in all... I loved the film!

And yes, again, Barbossa's return was one of those moments in the film I awaited for. He looked good, too.

~Lady B

[The Doctor]

I didn't think any the lines were "rehashed" at all. Comics use a device all the time called a "callback". A joke that plays off an earlier one, making the audience feel like they're on the inside. Used effectively, as it was here, it can be very funny. Maybe not belly-laugh funny, but enough to tickle the old funny bone.

Also used with great effectiveness was Hans Zimmer's reworking of Klaus Baldelt's original score themes. He used just enough to evoke a feeling from the previous movie, then built upon it to enhance the onscreen action quite nicely. The music for the Kraken attacks was particularly effective in hightening the "all Hell breaking loose" feel of the scenes. I know a lot of people don't like Baldelt's nor Zimmer's work, but I've always enjoyed listening to and playing huge orchestral works. As Jack would say, "Yeah! I'm good with it."

I loved the movie, and I can't wait to see it again. I haven't felt that way about a movie in a very, very long time.

[Monterey Jack]

Possible Spoiler here, but..........

Would somebody please tell me how Norrington ends up going pirate?!

I won't be able to see it for another couple weeks and I think that at this point it was a waste of a good character. I would rather have seen him at odds with himself and be a conflicted Commodore than just go pirate. But as I haven't seen it, I'm hoping for a good excuse. It can't be that he was canned for letting Jack go; that wouldn't warrent that kind of punishment.

Somebody fill me in, please?

[The Doctor]

Without spoiling, here's a vital clue set. Norrington doesn't let Sparrow go. Quite the contrary. Many a Naval officer has found naught but ruin as a result of becoming obsessed with a particular quarry. That's the case here. He ends up playing a very vital and pivotal role. I'll go no further. :)

[The Doctor]

And I love the whole *KaBlam!!* "Look! An undead monkey!"

[Asukaru]

And I love the whole *KaBlam!!* "Look! An undead monkey!"

BEST LINE IN THE FILM!!!

SPOILERS AHEAD!!! YE HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!

I went and saw a midnight showing last night - yes many of the action scenes were a bit upsurd, however it was just so much fun! I found myself laughing through most of the film, and when Jack makes that comment about the monkey (well, anytime the monkey showed up really) I'd still be giggling about it afterwards. Seriously, this was a blast. I loved it.

As for the back story on Davy Jones - I'm thinking we'll see more of that in the last film. There were clues that were laid and I have a very strong feeling about who his lost love was. The ending with the Kracken was delightful, as was the ending with Barbossa, though I admit the last person I expected to see was him.

Did anyone stay till after the credits? Just like with The Curse of the Black Pearl, there's a little easter egg waiting for ya. Not as cool as the one from the first film, but equally amusing.

[Christine]

And what does Barbossa say for the final line of the movie? When I read that somewhere I took a guess it'd be something like, "I feel.....warm!" But instead it's something like, "How's my ship?" or something like that.

Another thing I want to know, how did Norrington get so yummy-looking? Ditching the wig , letting the long hair down and letting some facial hair grow was a definite improvement!

[Asukaru]

And what does Barbossa say for the final line of the movie? When I read that somewhere I took a guess it'd be something like, "I feel.....warm!" But instead it's something like, "How's my ship?" or something like that.

Another thing I want to know, how did Norrington get so yummy-looking? Ditching the wig , letting the long hair down and letting some facial hair grow was a definite improvement!

For the life of me I can't remember what he says - he does finally get his apple though!

Those were my thoughts on Norrington as well. I could tell in the first he was a looker (if he lost the wig) but the scruffieness and, oddly enough, desperate need of a bath vastly improved his appearence.

[Christine]

A lot of people who saw it already said that too. People cheered so loudly when Barbossa came on the screen it was hard to hear what he said. How cool tho that he finally got his apple-LOL!