Yo-Ho Yo-Ho, A Pirate's Life For Me!
by Flick Chick Vique Rojas
Our movie reviewer, Flick Chick Vique Rojas gives us her take on Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest
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Pirates of the Caribbean plunders 5 Red Vines for being an E-ticket thrill ride! |
It's always been one of my favorite rides. And not just because it's a dark, cool respite from the hot California sun on a summer's vacation day. As any true Mouseketeer will tell you, a trip to Disneyland just isn't the same without going on the Pirates of the Caribbean. Let it be known that your summer won't be the same without going to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest!
Yes, the team that brought you the first movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, has struck pirate's gold yet again. Widely criticized as being too long, too muddled, too much, I found it to be a wild, high energy, high seas romp.
The movie chronicles the adventures or rather misadventures of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) as he tries to get out of paying a debt to Davy Jones (Bill Nighy, the narrator of Animal Planet's wildly popular Meerkat Manor). But the debt payment is Jack's soul. And the collector is no ordinary pirate. He is a foul breathed, tentacle faced Captain of the ghostly Flying Dutchman. Adding to the drama is the interruption of the marriage of Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley) to Will Turner (Orlando Bloom). The young lovers are doomed to be executed and only Jack Sparrow holds the key to their salvation.
Between the grimy schooners and their rag tag crews, I can't imagine how anyone controlled continuity! The movie overflows with detail as the players plunder from set to set. That's one of the things I really liked about Pirates. Unlike Superman Returns, this summer's other top-notch thrill ride, this movie's sets and action sequences are far more real and a lot less chroma-key imagery. But there's still plenty of magic from this ‘Magic Kingdom’ production. Between animators, special effects technicians and prosthetic make-up, the crew is huge! I can't imagine how the film won't walk away with Oscars for best make-up, art direction, wardrobe and possibly editing and special effects.
Plus, talk about your villains! When it comes to Davy Jones, all one can say is, “Wow”! I'm sure his face is a combination of everything you can think of when it comes to special effects but it looks so amazingly real. And man that crazy sucker plays a mean organ! Not since Phantom of the Opera has there been a more chilling organ playing scene. Of course no bad guy is an island and Davy Jones’ crew looks like some horrible seafood buffet from heck. Slimy, creepy, menacing and ultimately fascinating. And what fun when they unleash their horrible monster from the deep-the Kraken! When one considers the impact the gargantuan beast from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea made on the human psyche and now this bigger, better, more fierce version, no one does monster octopuses (octopi?!) like Disney!
There's almost no need to go into acting accolades. Depp’s portrayal of the most unscrupulous hero is a masterpiece. It is a tribute to his craft that he didn’t feel the need to add onto the various ticks and quirks so skillfully displayed in the first movie. Knightly and Bloom once again are perfectly cast as the disaster plagued lovers. The huge cast of extras are unmatched in excellence, as well.
Once again the mainstream critics have proved how out of touch they are when it comes to quality and what has tremendous mass appeal. Two of my co-workers shared their love of the movie with me and we all agree, we can’t wait to see the third installment of this booty-licious trilogy of swashbuckling fun.
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