Toon Talk: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
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Admittedly, it is all a bit overwhelming, but if you sit back and ride it out, you’re in for a good time. There are several eye-popping, edge of your seat action sequences, such as a three-way duel atop a runaway mill wheel and several heavily computerized Kraken attacks. Production design, from the sets to costumes to weapons, is all top of the line, with special mention needed for the outstanding creature effects; with Davy Jones and his motley crew of crustaceans, it is hard to tell where the prosthetics end and the digitalizing begins.
Fans of the first film (as well as the original ride) will have a ball picking up on all the minutiae that have been carried over into the new film, all the way from certain lines of dialogue (“Hello, poppet!�?) to green apples. I particularly appreciated the generous use of actual pirate lore throughout, such as the dreaded “black spot�? and the notorious port of Tortuga. Connoisseurs of revisionist westerns will also recognize a familiar theme briefly touched on here (one which will no doubt be further explored in the third film), that of the encroaching times driving the free-spirited pirates into oblivion, just as the cowboys would be in centuries to come.
Like other “second chapters�? in filmdom (The Empire Strikes Back, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers), Dead Man’s Chest ends with a cliffhanger, and this one is a doozey. All will be wrapped up next Memorial Day in the concluding chapter of the trilogy, rumored to be subtitled At World’s End. Director Gore Verbinski, along with Depp, Bloom and Knightley and the rest will return, as will most of us, I’m sure.
Toon Talk Rating: B
(c) Disney
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In this ‘Toon Talk’ feature, I will briefly highlight a recommended film or DVD, outside of the Disney universe, of similar interest to the main subject. Boffo Buccaneer Bonanza For a glimpse of classic swashbuckling from back in the day, check out Captain Blood (1935, Warner). Errol Flynn, in his first major screen role, became an instant matinee idol with this picture, playing a doctor-turned-pirate opposite another Hollywood newcomer, Olivia de Havilland. Their on-screen charm and chemistry lead to super-stardom for the duo, both separately and together; they would go on to co-star in eight more silver screen adventures. Directed by Michael Curtiz and also starring Lionel Atwill, Basil Rathbone and Guy Kibbee. DVD available from Warner Home Video. |
Coming Soon in Toon Talk:
- Beware of the Monster House, the newest motion-capture animated adventure (July 21, Columbia).
- A rotten kid discovers the answer to the question “why don’t you pick on someone your own size�? the hard way in The Ant Bully (July 28, Warner).
- When the farmer’s away, the Barnyard animals will play … (August 4, Paramount).
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-- Kirby C. Holt
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http://www.cafepress.com/MagicBear
Kirby is a lifelong Disney fan and film buff. He is also an avid list maker and chronic ellipsis user ...
Took Talk: Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt is posted whenever there's something new to review.
The opinions expressed by our Kirby C. Holt, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted July 10, 2006