Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean unexpectedly became the most successful pirate film in the last 25 years, after the genre was perfectly discredited by romantic B-movie crap by second-rate directors. Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed with ease, humor, and originality, without much interference from the producers, so the crew had freedom, and, for example, Johnny Depp could afford to have his peculiar acting, portraying the pirate captain as a hippie who just smoked a joint. However, in the sequels, it is visible how much the studio had expected from the film, and this desire to fulfill obligations had an unfavorable impact on this film. Despite the high budget, the same cast, and ubiquitous effort, it is more cumbersome and over-embellished, and in the end, it doesn't hold together. Especially when, unlike its predecessor, it doesn't have a story with a point and not only leaves room for further sequels but rather feels like an episode from a series that ends with an invitation for the next installment through a cut in a suspenseful scene. Some scenes, such as the duel in the ruins of an old mill and the subsequent swordfight between the blades of a broken mill wheel, however, are highlights that adorn any top-notch blockbuster. Overall impression: 60%. (23/10/2010)

The most treacherous part of the trilogy not only in terms of character actions. Perhaps it would be appropriate to say that the second part deserved to be cut and combined with the third into one movie, but it probably wouldn't work. I myself have caught myself wanting to watch Pirates all the time, even though it doesn't mean that Dead Man's Chest is flawless. It is really overloaded, some plotlines are pointless (cannibals), some desperately unremarkable, but who cares when it's such fun. The endlessly mentioned fight on the mill wheel and everything around it, together with the final Kraken performance, is a true adrenaline delight. (30/05/2007)

I understand the huge earnings, because it is precisely the kind of clearly outlined and technically perfectly arranged eye-candy entertainment tailor-made to a mainstream audience that wouldn’t go to the cinema without a large Coke and several tons of crunchy popcorn. However, with a cold feeling in my soul, I can say that the first installment is better, practically in every possible aspect. The sequel has one crucial problem: clutter; everything here is excessive. An unnecessarily overwrought story (especially the last approximately 45 minutes), too many jokes – and some situations are not explicitly comical – too many alternating locations, and too many visual effects, which are, of course, fantastic by themselves, but that is more or less an unwritten obligation in projects of this caliber. The characters are depicted the same way as in the first installment. Johnny Depp is excellent again, and this time Orlando Bloom is also good. The Kraken is a cool monster, and the make-up effects of the main villain are so captivating that it is hard to believe. There are several truly unforgettable scenes (the natives, Jack Sparrow pole jumping, the fight on the giant wheel, etc.), but unfortunately, the whole thing feels somewhat inconsistent, cynical, and above all, quite boring. Once is enough. (17/07/2006)

Needless bombast and excessive length versus great sea monsters and a slimy (literally and to the letter!) villain played by Bill Nighy and his makeup/digital magicians. Johnny Depp is equally good, but he has nothing left to surprise us with. Throw out part of that storyline and cut the runtime down to 120 minutes, and this would be worthy of four stars. (07/08/2006)

A ride in which you alternately switch from a Trabant to a racing car. However, this unbalanced mix of lengthy workarounds, overstuffed plot and diabolical action is still worth seeing, if only because of the amazing Billy "Davy Jones" Nighy, who proves that even with just the eyes and suggestive voice modulation you can perform miracles. (14/08/2006)