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Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest Our rating: Rate this movie   MPAA rating: PG-13 Genre: Action, Adventure Theater release: July 07, 2006 by Buena Vista Pictures Directed by: Gore Verbinski Runtime: 2 hours 20 minutes Cast: Johnny Depp (Jack Sparrow), Orlando Bloom (Will Turner), Keira Knightley (Elizabeth Swann), Bill Nighy (Davy Jones), Stellan Skarsgard ("Bootstrap" Bill Turner), Jack Davenport (Commodore James Norrington), Kevin McNally (Joshamee Gibbs), Naomie Harris (Tia Dalma), Jonathan Pryce (Governor Weatherby Swann), Tom Hollander (Cutler Beckett) Related: Talk About It/Family Corner

A good film always starts with good writing. People used to say comic books weren't filmable, but smart scripting has developed them into a respected genre. Skimpy children's books have been fleshed out into quality entertainment, and someday they'll finally make a decent movie based on a video game. Hey, why not use a soft drink commercial as inspiration? Because if they can make a blockbuster inspired by an old and dank Disneyland theme park ride, I'm convinced anything's possible if written well.

Few thought 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl would be a hit, but it was one of the year's most pleasant surprises—a funny, swashbuckling thrill ride that ultimately grossed more than $650 million worldwide. And now, few think that a sequel can possibly match that success or yield an equally amusing film.

Think again. Expectations are surpassed once again with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, a film that not only lives up to its predecessor, but elevates it into a delightful saga that falls somewhere between the classic Indiana Jones films and the more recent Mummy movies.

Johnny Depp returns in the lead role as the quirky-but-fun Jack Sparrow

What many people don't realize is that writers Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio (Shrek and 1998's similarly swashbuckling The Mask of Zorro) envisioned Pirates as a trilogy. With the success of the first movie, the next two chapters were ensured, filming back-to-back to save on production costs—yes, Dead Man's Chest is a cliffhanger to be concluded next summer. Moreover, the people responsible for the first movie have all returned—not just Elliot, Rossio, and the lead actors, but producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Gore Verbinski, and most of the supporting players as well.

Our story begins with Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), whose wedding day is rained upon literally and figuratively when both she and her heroic groom, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), are arrested by Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander), a representative of the East India Trading Company, for aiding and abetting in the escape of one Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp)—as you might remember from the ending of the first movie. The penalty is death, but Beckett is willing to make a deal with Turner—find Sparrow, retrieve his mysterious compass, and the young lovers will earn a full pardon.

Will (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) never know what they'll run into

With no alternative, Turner accepts and searches for Sparrow a la Heart of Darkness. Meanwhile, the eccentric pirate has been keeping busy in search of a certain special key. It seems he owes his soul to none other than Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), the monstrously tentacled devil of the sea who bargains with dying sailors to gain their servitude with his mutated crew of half-men, half-sea creatures. Why did Sparrow strike the deal? What does the key open? And how is Will's presumed dead father, "Bootstrap" Bill Turner (Stellan Skarsgard), involved in all of this?

Finding these answers and others is part of the fun, and we're not meant to discover them all in this film. For sure, it doesn't all make sense (yet), but it's enough to be caught up in the ride as it progresses. Dead Man's Chest moves at a brisk pace like a Saturday morning matinee and the Indiana Jones movies. It starts off a little slow, and it's not wall-to-wall action, but I was never bored and still wanted more after nearly two-and-a-half hours.

Much of the film's charm comes from its tight blend of adventurous derring-do with Python-esque slapstick. Sparrow makes another funny entrance in this movie, and I honestly couldn't stop laughing for minutes after he gives special payment for information from a mysterious voodoo lady. Fans of the series should also stay through the end credits for a parting laugh involving the fate of a "key character" to the series.

Our heroes run into one mis-adventure after another

Half the humor also comes from the ridiculously over-the-top but well-staged action sequences. Building upon the playful sword-fighting of the first film, Dead Man's Chest features a thrilling three-way duel that's part Princess Bride and part Road Runner, culminating in a sort of free-for-all shell game as you try to decide who's swindling who.

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