RUTHERFORD ON FILM: ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest’ Three Ring Wide Screen Thrill Ride Which Deflates Its ‘Air Time’ Too Suddenly
By Tony RutherfordHuntington News Network Critic
Huntington, WV (HNN) -- Ahoy mateys, a flick just docked at cinemas which offers a three-ring, wide-screen thrill ride of tilting, whirling, and plummeting with multiple epicenters of ‘air time’ erupting minute by minute.
Disney struck gold with “Dead Man’s Chest,” as it whisks you onto the vast, cascading exotic often enchanted or cursed waters where a nimble, sauntering, riddle articulating Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) commands the Pearl. However, his wiles and charm allowed him to escape the gallows in the previous installment, so now, Will Turner (Orland Bloom) and Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) who helped him elude capture find themselves imprisoned and facing the noose.
The “Caribbean” cast and crew have returned in their entirely, including director Gore (“The Mousetrap,” “The Ring”) Verbinski, who assimilates a the bravado of an escapist “movie like they used to make” into the 21st Century complete with smoothly integrated effects that do not seem technologically glitzy for the sake of demonstrating state of the art. Instead, they properly enhance a sequence, such as two groups of pirates strung up in wooden cages over a ravine who attempt to swing baby swing back and forth to grab something solid on the opposite side.
Escapism has its price, though. Often subplots which thrust the latest chase or duel fade without sufficient reconciliation. Or, as is the case of Captain Sparrow stranded as a cannibal chief waiting to be the roast, either I blinked, drifted into dream land or the pretext for his plight as the worshipped ‘god’ was not adequately explained until the Captain freed himself from the a hog tied and well fried fate.
Nevertheless, most of “Dead Man’s Chest” practices sleight of eye and ear with a wry expertise demonstrating director Verbinski’s avid juggling ability at maintaining multiple swift moving stories in a variety of locations and segueing back and forth much like the trademarks of a big budget continuing afternoon drama.
Depp has settled into the pirate part, which taps energies and skills consisting of portraying the strung-out, villain with an overly exaggerated stage presence to more eloquent verbal facades and a haughty overly confident sword jousting dance.
His “discomforting notions,” “might I inquire,” and “let us examine that claim” puffy verbose sarcastic formalism equates remarkably with the slapstick from rolling of his eyes, obvious pretence, and often sauntering ungrounded in his own decisions. Aye, a riddling trickster he is, he is, and his plundering pirate freedoms symbolize (watch and listen carefully!) an anarchistic distaste for authority (or at least, he salutes the First Amendment right of dissention).
Scenic designers and make up artists have imagined muted deep, dark underneath blue seas auras particularly the octopus and hammer-head damned floating for eternity on the notorious Flying Dutchman, which itself has the ominous ability to submerge then re-float generally with sucking, spidery tentacles jutting forth and unstoppably spewing through thin wooden vessels tossing sailors and cargo adrift. Not enough? No, they evoke underwater imagery through sea weeds, leeches, and other growths into their above water scenes.
While rotating from a jovial moment to a frightening Dutchman, “Dead Man’s Chest” avoid sea sickness, but the contrived, just turn off the projector finale drowns the thrills without sufficient kisses, hugs, and happily ever afters. In fact, the jagged cut off does foretell the already shooting third installment, but I’ve watched cheapo classic cliffhangers that prepare its audience for the “to be continued” more artfully than this mega million budgeted tent pole adventure. I mean even a coaster does not offer wondrous weightlessness and then a smack, jab jolting stop.
(Oh, and stay through the credits, for a last laugh! Thank you , Charlotte!)