Genre: Action, Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy, Pirate
Plot: The decidedly eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow is caught up in another tangled web of supernatural intrigue. Although the curse of the Black Pearl has been lifted, an even more terrifying threat looms over its captain and scurvy crew: it turns out that Jack owes a blood debt to the legendary Davy Jones (BILL NIGHY), Ruler of the Ocean Depths, who captains the ghostly Flying Dutchman, which no other ship can match in speed and stealth. Unless the ever-crafty Jack figures a cunning way out of this Faustian pact, he will be cursed to an afterlife of eternal servitude and damnation in the service of Jones. This startling development interrupts the wedding plans of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, who once again find themselves thrust into Jack’s misadventures, leading to escalating confrontations with sea monsters, very unfriendly islanders, flamboyant soothsayer Tia Dalma (NAOMIE HARRIS) and even the mysterious appearance of Will’s long-lost father, Bootstrap Bill (STELLAN SKARSGÅRD).Meanwhile, ruthless pirate hunter Lord Cutler Beckett (TOM HOLLANDER) of the East India Trading Company sets his sights on retrieving the fabled “Dead Man’s Chest.” According to legend, whoever possesses the Dead Man’s Chest gains control of Davy Jones, and Beckett intends to use this awesome power to
More Plot Descriptions
 |
Related Movies:
|
 |
Behind the Scenes:
Read more about the production
| |
 Discussion forum for this movie
|
| |
 ...The slow, uneven beginning is more than compensated for by the rousing climax, and the last scene promises more of the same the next time around, with possibly greater things to come. If I had to choose between the first two films in terms of which provides the more full entertainment experience, I would pick The Curse of the Black Pearl, but Dead Man's Chest isn't far behind.  --James Berardinelli (ReelViews)
Too long, and too wrapped up in its various plot contrivances to notice it’s veering off course. But Jack just about pulls the wheel back, aided by Verbinski’s flair for cartoonish comedy action.  --Dan Jolin (Empire Online)
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" is yet another great addition to the series. If you liked the first film, you'll enjoy this. 9/10--Scott Chitwood (ComingSoon.net)
Anyone who saw and loved the first movie will probably enjoy at least a good part of this sequel. Regardless of the moments that lose momentum, there are more than enough funny gags and exciting action scenes to make up for them. 8/10--Edward Douglas (ComingSoon.net)
The first two hours skip by, but that last half hour is kind of excruciating. It is a little bit like eating spun sugar: It tastes so good that it seems like more could never be enough, until suddenly it is too much. And it's not like this was his one shot to get all this stuff in—we still have Pirates 3 to look forward to. We love our Pirates, but please, sir, in smaller doses.  --PAM GRADY (Reel.com)
One could kvetch about the need for a tighter script, a smaller concept, and a voodoo priestess who spoke intelligibly, but why bother? Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is like a slow boat to China. It takes a very long time to get where it is going (2 ½ hours) and not every moment is thrill-packed, but it’s not without some very nice points of interest that make the effort worthwhile. --Andrea Chase (Killer Movie Reviews)
Discounting adrenaline rush, fright, nausea, and relief as evidence of dramatic effect, there are no consequences in a theme-park ride: You get on, you get jiggled, you get off. Maybe you even ask for another go-round, because it feels so good when the jiggling stops. Difference is, a ride runs a few minutes, while Dead Man's Chest cranks for what feels like an infernal eternity. D+--Lisa Schwarzbaum (Entertainment Weekly)
Even for a sequel, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest takes the practice of double-dipping to extreme depths, its guiding principle—as was the case with its predecessor's third act—being that once is fun but twice is nicer: in this case, two villains, two love triangles, two self-sacrificing fathers, two CG centerpieces involving a leviathan, and two bustling sequences in which characters dash down a tropical forest mountainside in/on round contraptions...  --Nick Schager (SlantMagazine.com)
...The sequel, "Dead Man's Chest," is more of the same. It's slightly longer, slightly more plot-heavy, and slightly less compelling. The novelty has worn off. It's fun, but in a labored sort of way, like trying to cram too much diversion into one day ofa vacation... C+--Eric D. Snider (EricDSnider.com)
Slow to get out of port and very nearly runs aground in the middle, but it manages to batten down the hatches for a terrific final act.  --Matthew Turner (ViewLondon)
I went in not realising that it’s a two-parter, and was dumbfounded by the number of plot strands that seemed to be unravelling with no hope of resolution as the film went on. So it ends on a cliffhanger, inviting us to come back next year. And we will. 6/10-- (FutureMovies.co.uk)
|
| Directed by |
Gore Verbinski
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Ring, The Mexican |
 |
|
| Written by |
Ted Elliott
Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Godzilla | Terry Rossio
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Godzilla, Deja Vu |
|
| Cast |
Johnny Depp
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Platoon, Sleepy Hollow |
 | Orlando Bloom
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King |
 | Keira Knightley
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Love Actually, King Arthur |
 | Jack Davenport
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Wedding Date |
 | Bill Nighy
Underworld, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Love Actually |
 | Jonathan Pryce
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Brazil, Ronin |
 | Mackenzie Crook
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Finding Neverland, The Brothers Grimm |
 | |
[more] |
|
| Music By |
Hans Zimmer
Gladiator, Batman Begins, The Da Vinci Code |
 |
|
...The preview audience I saw "Dead Man's Chest" with sat stonily through most of the movie, laughed with relief when a solid gag came along, and walked out trying to convince themselves they'd had a good time and that the ridiculous ending -- here's your hat, see you next May! -- wasn't an insult after 150 minutes of shambolic big-budget vaudeville. The third ``Pirates" may come too late: With "Dead Man's Chest," the franchise is back to the rickety amusement-park ride it started as.  --Ty Burr (Boston Globe)
...doesn't do anything new but what it does do it does very well and more than whets the audience's appetite for the next "Pirates" film. By a wide margin the most enjoyable film of the summer so far. 8/10--Joshua Starnes (ComingSoon.net)
I don't like it when a movie relies solely on effects to get you to buy a ticket but when they are coupled with strong acting and a cool story it's so worth it. Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is worth it.  --JC (Moviesforguys.com)
...is entertaining enough, but its overflowing budget serves up a film that's not nearly as impressive as its opening act. As much as we might want to fall madly in love with this adventure, the disappointment is that it makes its pirates' lives seem just that little less attractive. --Joe Utichi (FilmFocus.co.uk)
In the end, I came to the conclusion that, as I said before, pull any one thread and the whole would become less than the sum of its parts. There still might have been judicious cutting done within certain action set pieces, but then again, what’s the fun of a big summer meal if you don’t eat yourself stupid? I certainly didn’t feel cheated and am looking forward to next summer’s conclusion wholeheartedly. --Justin Helmer (eFilmCritic.com)
Dead Man’s Chest keeps the franchise fresh and surprising without resorting to old-standbys and like a truly great bridge film (a Part II in an obvious trilogy), it leaves us with terrific cliffhangers. If someone had said we’d be writing reviews like this about a Bruckheimer-produced pirate movie based on a theme park ride, they’d never have believed it. --Collin Souter (eFilmCritic.com)
Suffice it to say, the last shot of “Dead Man’s Chest” is absolutely killer – we’re talking a “Batman Begins” level of sweetness - and blows the door wide open for “World’s End” to ditch the unmanageable plot wrangling and return this franchise to the flume ride exuberance it once had. --Brian Orndorf (eFilmCritic.com)
...is good, fun popcorn fare but it hardly has the tight script of the first installment. Some blame for this can be that this is the Empire Strikes Back movie of the series. It sets up for the third film so perhaps everything will be resolved and made clearer in the third movie. --Eric Nash (TheMovieBuffs.com)
Overall, Dead Man's Chest is definitely a worthy sequel and perhaps the most entertaining summer blockbuster to hit the theatres this summer. It's not a perfect movie. As I said, it's a bit confusing at times but I'm not too sure if that had to do with the fact that I'm a dummy or if it was in fact a complicated story. That's for you to decide... 8/10--Brendan Cullin (EmpireMovies.com)
|
|
Movie Database
In Theaters
