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1821 reviews in total

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507 out of 795 people found the following review useful:
A wonderful film, 5 July 2006

Author: jaarlei from New Zealand

I just came out of the movie 30 minutes ago (as it was released a day before America over here).

The movie is visually stunning - the CGI is top rate and you won't spend the whole film groaning about how fake things appear on the screen.

Acting was brilliant. Johnny Depp once again proves why he's the only man alive who can play the role of Cap. Jack Sparrow. There's a great number of returning characters from the first film - including a couple I was very happy to see again.

My only fault was perhaps that this film lack a certain 'heart' that the first film had, which I believe came because the first film was something very different, which of course this film couldn't contend with.

That aside, you will hardly notice it. There's a good plot, wonderful sets, great acting and plenty of laughs. One of the best films I've seen all year thus far - can't wait for the 3rd one!

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494 out of 770 people found the following review useful:
Captivating, 6 July 2006

Author: WithoutWings from Australia

As a sequel, it had much to live up to the glory of the first film, and personally, I thought it had done rather well. The special effects on Bill Nighy (Davey Jones) and his pirate crew was perhaps the best; it was very realistic. The movie had a bit of a slow start, but overall was a wonderful film. Johnny Depp did well in his portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow, as previously in the first film. Keira Knightley and Bill Nighy were also of mentionable performances. I thought Orlando Bloom was a little wooden, as I thought of his performance in the first film, but still believable and he managed to pull it off. The ending which was rather interesting, served its purpose in suspense. It left the audience hanging, and it also left me hanging in a buzz of questions. I'm extremely eager to see the next Pirates of Caribbean film. However, the film did contain quite a number of references to the first film, The Curse of the Black Pearl, and I advise you to recap your knowledge of the first film and re-watch it to get the gist.

Overall, I believed the second Pirates of Carribbean was a rather good film, and very successful in standards of sequels. I can't wait for the third.

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351 out of 588 people found the following review useful:
More than equals its predecessor., 6 July 2006

Author: I_Like_Turtle_s from USA

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest does the right thing as a sequel: It maintains the same carefree spirit of the original and creates an even more fitting story to the whole Pirates lore. After narrowly escaping the gallows--with the help of his friends Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley)--and reclaiming his cursed Black Pearl, it still seems Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) has a few more fish to fry. More specifically the barnacle-encrusted undead on board the ghostly Flying Dutchman, lead by Mr. Octopus Face himself, Davy Jones (Bill Nighy). Jack apparently owes a blood debt to the inky captain and if he can't find a way out of it--namely locating the secret contents of Jones' famed locker--Sparrow will be doomed to eternal damnation and servitude in the afterlife (insert Jack Sparrow's face of disgust here). Making matters worse, Sparrow's problems manage to interfere with the wedding plans of Will and Elizabeth, who are forced to join Jack on yet another one of his misadventures.

Depp's Oscar-nominated performance as Captain Jack is still a marvel in slovenly pirate behavior, with his slurred speech, swaying swagger and slack, waving arms. But whether channeling famed Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards or not, it's the duality of the character that continues to intrigue us. He is a lusty, fearless man with a deeply defiant and somewhat sneaky streak but whose delicate features, long, dread locked hair, Kohl-rimmed eyes and almost girly mannerisms give him a subtly effeminate air that belies his macho antics. This time around, young Brits Knightley and Bloom have a little more to do, with Elizabeth's growing attraction to Jack and Will's reunion with his father, Bill "Bootstrap" Turner (Stellan Skarsgård), who's soul is stuck on the Flying Dutchman. And Nighy (Love Actually) once again makes his mark as an effective villain, infusing his rather quirky acting ticks--the laconic delivery, the laid-back attitude--which shines through all the special effects make-up. Let's just say, Nighy certainly rivals Depp in the arrogant rock star stance, even if he has tentacles for a face.

The other thing Dead Man's Chest does right is make things bigger and better. From a hair-raising sword fight on top of a spinning water wheel to the way Davy Jones and his crew look--all water logged and crustacean-like--the film's production value is simply amazing. Returning producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski make sure the action sequences, the sets, the costumes, the make-up and the special effects give the audience a familiarity to the original while also taking them on a whole new adventure. And if you are a fan of the Disney park attraction (the one at Disneyland, not Disney World), the elements that got missed in the first one--the creepy bayou, the beating heart in the treasure chest--are in this sequel. Dead Man's Chest does lag a bit from time to time, especially in heating up the Jack, Elizabeth and Will love triangle. But that's OK. We enjoy watching their banter, as much as we do the rest of it. And for those who'll want more adventure after the movie ends, Dead Man's Chest gives us a promise the third installment will be just as much pirate fun.

9/10

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581 out of 1052 people found the following review useful:
Better than the first, and that's saying something, 6 July 2006

Author: Jozxyqk from Australia

I will firstly say that after seeing the trailer and previews for this film I had serious doubts. I was afraid that the producers would just try to cash in on the original's success, and forget about any content.

I was pleasantly proved wrong.

This is the most fun I've had in the cinema in the longest time. I can't remember the last time I was so entertained.

Although it is a bit slow at times, and a bit predictable (although fun in it's predictability), it hardly lets up and continuously entertains.

If you loved the original, you will DEFINITELY love this film. The ending not only makes you laugh, it makes you think "What the hell?" and will make you eagerly anticipate (major understatement) the third installment.

There are some great lines, the same fun characters, an inventive and fun story, and some brilliantly staged action sequences.

In summation: SEE IT! See it on the big screen. If you miss it, you will surely regret it.

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236 out of 395 people found the following review useful:
Great summer fun! Everything I hoped for!, 8 July 2006

Author: musica1 (pjcindy@aol.com) from San Diego, California, USA

I will make my comments without spoilers so that people who haven't yet seen the movie can read it.

One of the worst things that can happen in a sequel to a successful movie is that audiences will feel like they're seeing the same movie again with slight variations on the theme. Dead Man's Chest gives us all the characters we loved in the first movie, but puts them in a refreshingly original movie. The action sequences will keep you on the edge of your seat. And there are more laugh-out-loud moments in this movie than in most comedies. I felt entertained from the beginning right through to the special scene after the closing credits. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I and my entire family will be going to see it again today.

For parents with young children: This movie is more violent than the first movie. There is a lot of killing, though none of it is shown close up or in a grisly manner. Davey Jones and his gang are very gross. In the screening I attended, there were a lot of "Ewwww!"s from the audience. If you have sensitive young ones, you should probably leave them at home.

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144 out of 219 people found the following review useful:
when special effects become a distraction, 13 July 2006

Author: moly3158 from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

If I hadn't spent $8 to get into the theater I would have left this movie about half way through. But I stayed, hoping it would eventually get better — no such luck.

I think Disney let their idea people get out of control. The movie just got too crowded with special effects and totally goofy plot twists, which eventually robbed a good cast of any opportunity to actually act. Davey Jones and his crew are so over-endowed with gimmicks squirming over their bodies that they ended up more being more distracting than entertaining. And why did the director need to get so focused on being as gross as possible? Instead of gratuitous sex Disney gives us gratuitous slime. Johnny Depp nibbling on a necklace made of human toes was something I didn't get; I didn't need it, and neither did the movie.

Compared to the first film, Dead Man's Chest was a let down. I can't think of any redeeming qualities, except maybe that it is making a few people a lot of money.

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165 out of 264 people found the following review useful:
Dead Man's Chest is great entertainment, 2 July 2006

Author: samseescinema from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

reviewed by Sam Osborn

rating: 3.0 out of 4

More, more, more seems to be the theme running through Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. There's more adventure, more violence, more pirates, and more myth. Not to mention that two and a half hour running length. But while Superman Returns may have dragged some in its 150 minutes, Pirates hurtles along at a pace only expected from the offspring of a Disneyland theme-ride, rarely slowing for piddling bits of nonsense like, oh say, story. Of course, story's not the point of these flicks and it surely doesn't have to be. There's entertainment enough to be had without all the other hodgepodge. And Pirates 2, for all its expansion, manages to dodge common sequelitis pitfalls. It doesn't overdose on a memorable character from the original (cough, Matrix Revolutions, cough) or over-broaden it's scope (cough, Matrix Reloaded,cough). Dead Man's Chest is a continuation of the original Pirates adventure, just with a couple extra unmarked sails tacked onto its deck.

The plot has something to do with ole' Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp, of course) and his debt to Davy Jones (Bill Nighy). Debts, as we've all learned by now, are not things Mr. Sparrow is most proficient at repaying. The Dead Man's Chest factors in as it holds Mr. Jones' beating heart, which was ravaged by the likes of a lady whom he loved in the past. The English Navy blowhards also seem to be after the chest, and blackmail William Turner (Orlando Bloom) to seek out Capt. Jack's magic compass, which supposedly points toward the treasure. Held in a cell is Will's fiancé, Elizabeth Swan (Kiera Knightley), under charges of assisting Capt. Jack in the franchise's last swashbuckler. What it boils down to is a mottled mess of a chase to find the key to Davey Jones' chest, and avoiding his gargantuan beast, the Kraken.

The myth itself wrings deeper than the original's, with Davey Jones and his seafood cohorts rendered with an unholy amount of CGI goodness to make them squirm convincingly in all their scaly, slippery evil. But the plot doesn't hold much water, same as the first, though plot was never the point. As long as it paints a tastily mythological backdrop for our pirates to plunder, we're kept smiling. And even though the picture has all the weight of a paperclip, the franchise has at least matured since it's last time around. The mood has thickened and no longer can we tell that the film is a shameless translation of its Disneyland ride. Writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio take efforts to develop each of our three heroes separately, using individual sub-plots to fill in the otherwise empty molds left dry from the original. Will Turner has a family reunion with his father (Stellan Skarsgard), enslaved by Davy Jones and appearing as though he's slowly evolving into a starfish. Will's fiancé, Ms. Swan, escapes from her cell and hides as a stowaway on a trade vessel. And Jack, of course still functioning as the star of the show, develops his slimier persona with delectable cowardice and deception. Ironic that the teenagers of America have chosen Mr. Sparrow as their most prized character in film. Oh, wait, that honor instead belongs to Napoleon Dynamite. Perhaps we should be nervous about our country's future?

Anyway, along with the characters the adventure is also thickened heartily; though probably not by consequence of the writing, but instead because of the greatly inflated budget. Our friends are volleyed about the seas, facing the enormous sea monster, the Kraken, whose plunger-like tentacles crumple vessels like copy-paper. Swordplay is more indulgent too, with Verbinksi going so far as to mount a chivalric swordfight inside a huge, rolling waterwheel as it bounces along the island's foliage. Verbinski juggles these stunts with ease, proving once again his film-making versatility. If you'll remember all the way back to last October (I know, in Hollywood-time nine months is an epoch) Verbinski made a quiet, gloomy little character study called The Weather Man. And before that, Verbinski also directed The Ring and Captain Jack's first adventure in 2003. Yup, this guy's the real deal. In the waterwheel sequence, Verbinski chooses not to succumb to any mere CGI trickery, and mounts a camera on the wheel's axis to show that at one point he forced Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom to swordfight on a giant spinning wooden wheel. And he's more artistic than your typical Brett Ratner-esquire director, finding a visual aesthetic perfect for a pirate's tale.

But art and pretentious critic fodder aside, Dead Man's Chest is great entertainment. It's rich and exciting and chock-full of Captain Jack-isms for high schoolers to repeat over and again. And the life of pirates is still a chunk of history that Hollywood has been unwilling to bite into for a while. Pirates of the Caribbean, for all its feathery, lightweight fun, gorges on this chunk and keeps us hooked on the adventure, waiting along with all the local eighth and ninth graders next year for the midnight showing of Captain Jack's trilogy capper.

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154 out of 245 people found the following review useful:
The worst movie of 2006 - waste of time and money, 14 July 2006

Author: ashish-raju from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This movie is horrendous in terms of plot, character development, and overall quality. It was such a disappointment after seeing the first one. I did not have huge expectations as other fans may have, but I did at least want a quality movie.

Other users have pointed this out in their reviews. This movie is a complete setup for Pirates #3 and possibly #4. I refuse to see the sequels as I feel they made me waste 2.5 hours of my time and money to set up Pirates #3. All the users who praise the movie, I have no idea what you are talking about. Don't waste your time and money seeing this.

This movie has nothing original about it. They provide the exact same jokes and perspectives as the first one. In addition, they steal several ideas and scenes from other movies. It's so annoying, boring, and proves to be a failure. A couple of my friends fell asleep during the movie during the slow progression and overall stupidity of plot. The ending is completely painful. The movie just stops abruptly and the credits roll. You leave with the most horrendous taste in your mouth and most disgusted feeling (as anyone would feel after having wasted hours of their time and money to see basically a trailer).

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226 out of 390 people found the following review useful:
Does not ruin the first one!, 8 July 2006

Author: billiejoefreak from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This had to be absolutely wonderful. Usually a lot of movies that have a second or a third tend to ruin the first one, and this one certainly does not. It was one hundred percent better than the first one, actually. It was still action packed, funny, and it features people you would not expect, I was even dropping my jaw the whole time! If you liked Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, you're going to have to love this one too. Of course, Johnny Depp's acting is still wonderful as the last one, as well as Orlando Bloom's and Keira Knightley's. The effects are absolutely stunning and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I do suggest though, if you have not seen the first one, you need to see that before going to see this one..otherwise, you're going to be a "tad" clueless on some parts. The movie does total justice and I would see it again and again!

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82 out of 116 people found the following review useful:
Shamelessly entertaining, 10 July 2006

Author: bmelanie from South Korea

Some blockbuster movies pretend to be more than they actually are. They sometimes even try to be philosophical. 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest', thank goodness, does no such thing. From start to finish, it practically flaunts the fact that it is pure and utter entertainment, comic yet breathtaking. The slapstick comedy involving the various sequences on the cannibal island and the water mill are amusing, the scenes at sea with the Flying Dutchman and the Kraken draw gasps, and, as ever, the antics of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow brings endless pleasure. Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann does her share too, but Orlando Bloom as William Turner is still somewhat...wooden, perhaps because of the insipid character that he plays. His (almost idiotic) chivalry and goodness simply does not click with the mischievous magnetism that Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann delivers. He still does amuse from time to time, however. The supporting cast is truly stellar; Bill Nighy as Captain Davy Jones, Stellan Skarsgard as Bill 'Boostrap' Turner and Naomie Harris as Tia Dalma are simply brilliant. Bill Nighy delivers his lines with aplomb, smacking his lips as if he relishes each syllable. Stellan Skarsgard is completely believable as the wretched Bootstrap Bill, a man who has fallen to the depths as far as he can go, and yet can still find the strength to endure it all in the love he has for his son, William. Naomie Harris is just as charismatic as the former two, but her charisma is not menacing or stoic but mysterious and even alluring. When she grins her black-toothed grin, one cannot help but grin along with her. In the end, 'Dead Man's Chest' is a roller-coaster-ride of a movie that thoroughly exploits every minute of its two-and-a-half-hour running time, ending with a final cliffhanger that leaves people feeling excited yet frustrated. (Remember when you watched 'Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' and realized that you would have to wait another year for 'The Two Towers'? Like that.) NB. If you have the patience, stay till the end of credits. It's mildly amusing.

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