Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Yesterdaynight I went with Thijs to Pirates II. We had a lot of fun, it's a decent adventure with enough power to be tense at times and enough humor to be hilarious. Don't expect a memorable tale of outstanding storytelling, this movie isn't made for that. Its goal is to entertain you and really succeeds at doing that. I don't mean to say that the storytelling is bad, just a bit confusing at times. It was very clear from the start that the writers went for a *big* story. Pirates I was a try-out and basically a stand-alone story. Pirates II picks up where Pirates I ended but is in every other aspect a real "part I" movie of two episodes. I understood that Pirates III has already been filmed.

With Pirates II you get all the content you would expect from a swashbuckle adventure movie without it becoming too predictable: canibal tribes, humor bordering slapstick, treasurehunts, barfights, seamonsters, gunboat battles, the pretty girl, the pretty guy, a voodoowitch and lots and lots of lightning fast sword dueling. Although some ideas are just a bit too far fetched. Like the bad guy pirate playing an organ aboard his ship: that's just pushing it ;). Special effects and acting more than compensate for this and add very well into the general adventure feel. The Kraken is simply great and so are the effects on Davy Jones and his crew.

The people with the patience to sit through the entire credits are suprised with a final scene. The credit scene in Pirates I (with the monkey stealing the coin and becoming undead) has more impact on the general story than the scene in Pirates II. It is funny nonetheless.

So if you are into entertaining adventure movies along the lines of Indiana Jones, Three Musketeers, Count of Monte Cristo and such go watch it. You won't be disappointed.