Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

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Rating 2½


Directed by Gore Verbinski

Written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, based on characters created by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie and Jay Wolpatt

Starring Johnny Depp (Captain Jack Sparrow), Orlando Bloom (Will Turner), Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Swann), Bill Nighy (Davy Jones), Jack Davenport (James Norrington), Jonathan Pryce (Weatherby Swann), Tom Hollander (Cutler Beckett), Stellan Skarsgård (Bootstrap Bill Turner), Lee Areberg (Pintel), Mackenzie Crook (Ragetti), Kevin McNally (Joshamee Gibbs) and Naomie Harris (Tia Dalma)

Lord Cutler Beckett arrests Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann in Port Royal, Jamaica, threatening execution to force Turner to hunt for the Pirate Captain Jack Sparrow and relieve him of his magic compass. The devious Sparrow and the crew of his ship the Black Pearl have been captured by cannibals on a tropical island. Following their escape they are pursued by Captain Davy Jones and the ghost ship the Flying Dutchman, as well as the legendary sea monster the Kraken.

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‘Dead Man’s Chest’ is the second film in the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise, produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Gore Verbinski, whose previous films include ‘The Ring’, and was released in 2006. Its box office gross was a mind-boggling $1,066,179,725, against a production budget of $225 million, making it the fourth highest grossing film of all time (not taking into account inflation). It received mixed reviews and has a 53% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes from 212 reviews.

I enjoyed the first film ‘The Curse of the Black Pearl’, but I also found myself somewhat disappointed by it. I had the same reaction to ‘Dead Man’s Curse’. It’s expertly made, a master class of modern day effects-soaked action-adventure blockbusters, but it’s so bombastic and arrogant of its own hugeness that it lacks heart.

Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are unremittingly bland and charisma-free leads, but perhaps they need to be as an antidote to all the madcap mayhem being unleashed around them, much like Allan Jones (the father of the singer Jack Jones), who found himself playing the bland romantic lead in the anarchic Marx Brothers films ‘A Night at the Opera’ and ‘A Day at the Races’. Johnny Depp’s performance as Captain Jack Sparrow is little more than an impersonation of Keith Richards (who turns up in the third film, playing Captain Jack’s father), but is no less enjoyable for that and has played a big part in the success of the franchise.

At 150 minutes it is probably a little too long and it does become a bogged down and convoluted at times, but there is also a lot of humour and it is fun to watch. While I am often not especially impressed by CGI effects, the special effects here are superb. I particularly liked the Kraken.

‘Dead Man’s Chest’ was followed by ‘At World’s End’. A fourth instalment ‘On Stranger Tides’ has been announced, with Johnny Depp returning as Captain Jack Sparrow, although both Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley (who, in 2008, was the second highest paid actress in Hollywood) have both stated that they do not intend to reprise their roles.

Review posted 8 January 2010


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The Ring

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Rating 3¾


Directed by Gore Verbinski

Written by Ehren Kruger, based on 'Ringu' written by Hiroshi Takahashi, based on the book by Koji Suzuki

Starring Naomi Watts, Brian Cox, Jane Alexander, Rachael Bella and Amber Tamblyn


J-Horror films, although I’ve always associated them with the influence of the famous Val Lewton RKO films of the 1940s and things like ‘The Spiral Staircase’, are a continuation of Japanese ghost stories and Yūrei, ghosts or spirits that have not gained entry into the afterlife. In particular, the films deal with Onryō, ghosts that are able to return to the physical world to seek vengeance. The physical appearance of Onryō, ghostly white make-up and long unkempt black hair, was established during the Edo period, between 1603 and 1868.

‘The Ring’, in keeping with all other American remakes of “overseas” films, has come in for some criticism, the assumption apparently being that American filmmakers are incapable of making films of the same artistic quality as European and, in the case of the recent glut of J-Horror films, Japanese and South Korean film-makers. However, this one faired much better than most. 166 reviews collected at Rotten Tomatoes result in a 71% fresh rating. The original Japanese film gets a 100% rating from 16 reviews. However, it is worth noting that the Japanese sequel, ‘Ringu 2’, ends up with an inexplicable 0% rating from 15 reviews.

‘The Ring’ achieved a worldwide box office gross of $249 million against a production budget a little under $50 million. It was this success that led to ‘The Grudge’ and the success of that film that opened the door to ‘Dark Water’ and ‘Pulse’.

The film uses a trick borrowed from ‘Scream’ (one that ‘Urban Legend’ also used) and opens with a lengthy sequence involving a peripheral character who will meet a grizzly end and not be seen again. In this case, it’s Amber Tamblyn, in a nicely judged scene with Rachael Bella that almost pays homage to slasher films and gives the false impression that what is about to follow is a teen horror movie.

Probably the most celebrated scene in the film takes place on the ferry during the rain storm when a horse goes mad, breaks out of its horsebox, chases Rachel, the main character, played by Naomi Watts, and leaps over the bow of the boat, plunging to its death into the stormy sea below.

The film’s greatest asset, the superb visual use of the landscapes to one side, is Naomi Watts, who is an actor of exceptional talent. Her very pale and expressive features are perfect for her role here. She also starred in the 2005 sequel, which was directed by Hideo Nakata, the Japanese director of ‘Ringu 2’ and ‘Honogurai Mizu No Soko Kara’, the original version of ‘Dark Water’. I seem to be one of the few people to actually like the sequel.

‘The Ring’ was directed by Gore Verbinski, who subsequently went on to direct the three parts of the hugely successful ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ trilogy.



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