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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Demons

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Rating 2

Created by Johnny Capps and Julian Murphy

Written by Peter Tabern (three episodes), Lucy Watkins (two episodes) and Howard Overman (one episode)

Directed by Tom Harper (three episodes) and Matthew Evans (three episodes)

Starring Christian Cooke, Philip Glenister, Zoë Tapper, Holly Grainger, Saskia Wickham, Mackenzie Crook and Richard Wilson


Teenager Luke Rutherford (Christian Cooke) meets his godfather Rupert Galvin (Philip Glenister) for the first time. Galvin tells him he is the last Van Helsing and it is his destiny to fight “half-lives”, vampires and dark forces from the supernatural world. Luke is introduced to Mina Hawker, the same Mina Hawker who appeared in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel ‘Dracula’, and is thrown into a strange and dangerous netherworld, unwittingly dragging his friend Ruby (Holly Grainger) in with him.

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The remarkable success of the revived ‘Doctor Who’ has opened the door to several shows with a supernatural or fantasy/horror theme. ‘Primeval’ was the immediate ITV answer to the celebrated BBC series and a third season of that show has been commissioned. Now comes ‘Demons’, once again targeting the Saturday teatime family audience, with a basic premise that rather blatantly copies ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’. Its first season ran for six episodes between 3 January and 7 February 2009.

Whereas ‘Doctor Who’ can command viewing figures in excess of 10 million and ‘Primeval’ averaged 6.2 million across its first two seasons, ‘Demons’ saw a dramatic and almost immediate decline in viewers, dropping from 6.3 million for the first episode to 4.2 million by the time of episode four.

The series never fires on all cylinders, although it is not a complete failure. The biggest problem lies with the main characters – and that is a serious problem. Luke is self-centred in the way that teenagers tend to be, but he has no discernible personality and, as seen through his attitude towards his friend Ruby, he is, putting it politely, routinely pig ignorant. Philip Glenister adopts a terrible American accent for his portrayal of Rupert Galvin, which does nothing to enhance the character. Zoë Tapper’s muted performance as Mina Hawker is, I assume, intended to give her a mysterious and otherworldly air, but it does tend to suck the life out of the character. Only Ruby has any real spark.

Mackenzie Crook, famous for his roles in ‘The Office’ and the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ films, puts in an amusing turn in two episodes as the vampire Gladiolus Thrip; basically David Bowie in Teddy Boy garb with a false nose. Richard Wilson could have been used more in the role of the zombie priest Father Simeon.

The series received a mixed reaction from television critics and the already declining viewing figures suggest there is no guarantee it will return for a second season. If it does and it manages to breathe some life into the characters, there is hope, but it needs to establish its own identity. At the moment it is just a pale imitation of the various sources it has clearly copied.

Review posted on 8 Febuary 2009



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