Pirates II: Sometimes the Sequel Is Better

I only agreed to see this in the cinema because of the all the good things I had heard from friends and my brother, etc. Truth is, I was somewhat dissappointed in the first Pirates of the Caribbean film (which I first saw on dvd), probably because it was overhyped by everyone as the best movie ever made. I remember finding Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) more annoying than Jar Jar Binks, found both Orlando Bloom's and Keria Knightley's performances very bland and lacking and finding the plot extremely weak. I mean, there were these skeletal, undead pirates who were immortal and invincible, yet they wanted to be freed, and all they needed to relieve this 'curse' was the blood of Will Turner, so I found there was really no real, tangible conflict neccessary. Ah well. Upon a second viewing I came to appreciate the film more, although I could give it no higher than 3 and a half stars max. I do apologize for mentioning it as 'disasterous' as a film in earlier reviews.

Something greatly intriuged me about this sequel. I think it was mostly the amazing make-up of the aquatic monstrosities that were Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) and his crew. This make-up and special effects in this film are really something to be admired. Our main villains in this film are far more menacing than the oafish skeletal pirates in the first film.

Not long has past since the last film, Will Turner (Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann's (Knightly) wedding gets interrupted by Commodore Cutler Bucket, a representative of the East India Trading Company (companies back in the day held enormous sway over government and government policy...look at how much things have changed, eh?)...both Turner and Swann are charged (along with Commodore Norrington, Swann's fiance from the last film, who has since dissappeared) are charged with allowing Jack Sparrow, a notorious pirate, escape punishment. Their sentence in death (oh no)!

Once more Bloom and Knightly give their same performances (meh). Jack Sparrow, a character I had come to cherish, is great as always. I have little use for Depp himself and I hate most of his films, but Sparrow is truly great once more. And alike the first film, you can't quite trust him...it seems.

The Black Pearl, meanwhile, the ship owned once more by Jack Sparrow and his faithful (somewhat) crew are on a bunch of adventures throughout the high seas when Jack finds out he's a marked man, by Bootstrap Bill Turner (only mentioned in the first film), now transforming into an aquatic coral-reef man, as he's been cursed to serve aboard Davy Jones Crew. Sparrow is a marked man, a black blotched mark growing on his hand, the black mark meaning death in the pirate lore. Y'see, long ago, 12 years to be precise, Jack Sparrow only got hold of the Black Pearl because he made a deal with Davy Jones.

When we refer to Davy Jones we don't mean the Monkee (remember them?) we mean the malevolent spirit of the Ocean, known in folklore often as a demonic force, taking in drowned sailors to the depths of the sea-floor. In this film Jones is portrayed as a great squid/lobster/octopus guy, aboard a great organic vessel known as the Flying Duthman ( a ghost ship in sea-lore ) which is made up of these sea-creature hybrid monster sailors...I imagine this ship must really smell salty and nasty. Davy Jones also has the power over a mighty kraken, that enforces his will.

So, Will Turner manages to get a reprieve in order to fetch Jack Sparrow's compass, which Becket tells him will lead to a treasure chest containing Davy Jone's heart, an item that will grant the wielder great power (think the ring from Lord of the Rings). Elzabeth Swann escapes...meanwhile Jack Sparrow ends up on an island full of cannibals...where they make him their God-King, intending to release him from his fleshy prison by consuming him. Many native groups associated with the Carib people protested this negative portrayl of their ancestors...although there are accounts of cannibalism amongst the amerindians of the Caribbean..of course, it is now believed to have possible been exxagerated, as Queen Isabella of Spain wrote a law citing only cannibal natives to be made slaves, so it is believed that many lied in order to make slaves of them. This portrayl is highly controversial, one I cannot take a side in, as I am no expert on Caribbean indigenous cultures...sorry...

So, events unfold throughout the movie, one after another, and alike the first film, the plot seems somewhat incoherent and hard to follow, particularly after one viewing. Eventually, if one can keep track, they all end up pursuing Davy Jones heart, as the man himself, Davy Jones and his crew remain a menacing force, far more terrifying than any other villain in the film.

I found the action exhilerating, particularly the scenes on the cannibal island, the three-way duel at the end, the kraken, the combat with Jones' crew to name a few. This movie is far darker than the first, another thing I appreciated. The film runs long, yet is worth almost every minute of it (almost, that is). The ending contains a number of shocks, if you do not know them already, see the film for this purpose alone...

To recap, let's see...amazing action, darker atmosphere, further character development, some parts that are hard to follow, some lame characters and acting (Bloom, Knightly), some amazing acting (Depp, Nighy), complex plot, ultimately a film worth seeing in the cinema and owning on dvd or vhs. I await the third installment in the series eagerly and hope the producers do a good job of tying everything up, as enough loose ends are left at the end of this film. Inevitably we have that though, in any middle film in a trilogy.

Thanks for Reading! Hurry up and see this film before it's out of theatres.

P.S. for those who have seen the movie already...why is the monkey still undead?