Smartly, the producers (a tip of the hat to ol' Bruck) signed everyone from the original to star and work on the sequel. Somehow Disney reeled in three of Hollywood's most sought after actors, the three stars of the first film, and lined them up for not only this sequel, but another after as well. Additionally, Walt Disney Pictures signed the director of the first, Gore Verbinski, to direct the sequels.
Essentially, Disney spent money to make sure that the integrity of the film would not change. There would be no character disappearing or dying because they couldn't convince the actor to return, there would be no character being replaced by some other actor that looks nothing like the original, and there would be no director deciding that the film should have a sepia tone because he wants to make it stand apart from the other. (the Harry Potter series suffers from this, as a different director comes in each time to give it their own feel - consistency is important, and WB doesn't seem to care) Disney knows that this film series is an investment, and to make sure your investment grows, you've got to protect it.
Protect it, they did. Verbinski keeps the same feel, the same vibe of 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'. However, this movie seems to feel more like a movie to me.
Its darker and its more story driven, and as a result, the film feels more like what you would have expected the first to feel. 'The Curse of the Black Pearl' is a great movie, don't get me wrong. It was written well, it established the characters fantastically, and it was great to watch.
Comparitively, however, it seems more like a feel-good movie, more youth oriented for some reason. (Again, I am not bashing the original - I loved it. It's just that I love this one that much more!
) 'Dead Man's Chest' seems more self-propelled. As soon as it starts, you're headlong in the adventure. Forgive the nautical reference - it has more depth.
I don't know if that makes sense to anyone but me though. The film does have a few soft spots - Jack Sparrow clamoring for rum and talking to himself about clamoring for rum gets kind of old. Also, the plot moves a bit quick in the beginning, though its not too hard to figure out what you've missed.
Aside from that, there really aren't too many things I can point out that I didn't like. The film sees the introduction of two new characters, Davy Jones and 'Bootstrap Bill' Turner. Bill Nighy does a great job of wearing one of those skin tight CG-capture suits, because Jones is literally made up of computer animated sealife.
I think you could see 'Billy Mack's' eyes though, they may have been real. The real gem in this movie is Stellan Skarsgård. He was fanastic in this film.
His portrayal of a father trying to save his only son was actually very moving. I was very impressed. Essentially, 'Dead Man's Chest' breaks the mold for movie sequels.
Whereas most sequels leech off of the success of the first, this one builds upon it. There is a perfect blend of comedy, action, and drama. The acting is superb: each characters evolve and have plenty of surprises.
Jack Davenport returns and becomes central to the story. He even paid tribute to one of the original scenes from the ride! He too was fantastic.
(I'd love to sing more of his praises, but I don't want to give too much of his story away for those who haven't seen it) The ending of the movie reveals an amazing twist that should set up 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End' quite nicely. The production team really deserves more credit than it will probably receive. There was a lot they had to do, and they did it all - and quite well I might add.
TOMS LINE: The only thing better than 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' will be the DVD. posted by juniorthomas @ 11:51 AM Smartly, the producers (a tip of the hat to ol' Bruck) signed everyone from the original to star and work on the sequel.
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