Pirates of the Caribbean - Pirates of the Caribbean 2
Film: Captain Jack is back! Three years after the "Curse of the Caribbean" based on a Disneyland attraction grossed over $650 million worldwide, the second installment is finally coming to our theaters. It is particularly pleasing that director Gore Verbinski was able to reassemble almost the entire crew from Part 1 in front of and behind the camera, so that it could be guaranteed that fans of the predecessor the new adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow & Co. can enjoy without much introduction. In addition to veteran cast members Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, Orlando Bloom as Will Turner and Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann, a new face could be hired in the form of the wonderful Bill Nighy ("Actually.Love"), who is without question one of the very big highlights of "Pirates of the Caribbean - Pirates of the Caribbean 2".
Where - face is here perhaps the wrong expression, because just that the viewer of Bill Nighy does not get to see at all, his character Davy Jones, a mixture of man, squid and crab, was developed almost entirely on the computer. But just as Andy Serkis brought Gollum to life in the "Lord of the Rings" films, Nighy's talent doesn't completely disappear under Davy Jones' computer-animated exterior. It is with his eyes that the celebrated actor is still able to convey an incredible amount of his own performance to the screen, making Davy Jones one of the most watchable aspects of the film.
Of all people, Jack Sparrow is in lifelong debt to this fabled pirate, the captain of the "Flying Dutchman". And no sooner has he managed to rescue his beloved ship, the "Black Pearl", from the hands of Barbossa and his henchmen than Davy Jones demands that debt: if he doesn't deliver 90 souls to him within three days, he himself must serve eternity in service on the "Flying Dutchman". The only salvation is the chest containing the heart of Davy Jones. Jack has a magic compass that shows him the way to the chest's hiding place, but it seems nearly impossible to open it, as Jones always carries the key with him.
But things don't look much better for Will and Elizabeth either. Actually, the two wanted to marry, but since they helped Jack in his escape from the gallows, they are now threatened with the death penalty instead of a honeymoon. Only if Will manages to obtain Jack's compass could he and Elizabeth be saved. And with that, the adventure can begin.
"Curse of the Caribbean 2" suffers at many moments from the same symptoms that doom so many movie sequels. Often you get the impression that the makers have picked exactly those elements from the predecessor that worked particularly well and now present them in new variations and of course bigger and more spectacular and unfortunately more often than before. In this case, this is reflected negatively in the character of Jack Sparrow, of all people. From the coolness, which he still sprayed in the first part, is here often much too little to feel. Rather, the pirate played by Johnny Depp again terrific threatens to degenerate into a joke figure, which stumbles from one silliness into the next. If there isn't a twist in the third part, it would be a rather inglorious end for a character that in itself has enormous cult potential. But alone the way Captain Jack says goodbye to the second film is spectacular and simply good and actually lets expect only good things for his next appearance!
With well over two hours, the second Caribbean adventure is unfortunately a bit too long. Although the overall entertainment value is extremely high, unpleasantly noticeable lengths can not be avoided. These are especially caused by the fact that the surprise effect of the first film is completely missing. Three years ago, nobody expected a pirate movie of this kind, so even minor lengths were hardly disturbing. Now, however, the characters have been introduced and viewers know roughly what to expect from a "Curse of the Caribbean" movie. A little tighter staging, especially in the first third, would have done the flick a world of good!
But all these ultimately minor flaws notwithstanding: "Curse of the Caribbean 2" is a great cinematic pleasure, where action, humor, special effects and romance in well-tuned doses make a tasty whole. Although here and there a slight oversaturation effect sets in and the one or other side dish is rather unimportant due to the lush main menu, but overall hardly a bitter aftertaste remains. The reason for this is also the many successful supporting characters, such as the former Commodore Norrington (Jack Davenport), who is consumed by rage and the desire for revenge, and who has not only had his marriage to Elizabeth, which was promised to him, destroyed by Jack Sparrow, but also his professional career. Or Pintel and Ragetti, formerly undead companions of Barbossa, who now, being back among the living, provide some of the film's most amusing moments. The numerous references to the first part are also fun and can undoubtedly be chalked up as a plus for the film.
Despite amusing supporting characters, despite Davy Jones, despite very good effects and another excellent set, and despite some weaknesses in his handling of his character, this film clearly belongs to Johnny Depp! Watching him in this role, as he once again rises to brilliant top form despite the already mentioned weak points, is simply a lot of fun! To cut a long story short: For fans, Pirates of the Caribbean 2" is a worthy and entertaining sequel (the box-office takings of over 1 billion dollars worldwide, making it the third most successful film of all time, speak for themselves!), which easily makes up for the shortcomings with a few surprises, lots of action and adventure, and already whets the appetite for part 3, which will be released in summer 2007. The transition, which is often compared to the end of "The Empire Strikes Back", makes you curious! And so, in the end: absolutely worth seeing!
Another little tip: as with part 1, there is a little closing gag after the credits. Just skip the very long credits and then enjoy the last minute with an amused grin!
Picture: It couldn't have been any other way for the third most successful film of all time: clear, clean picture with a high degree of sharpness, very satisfying contrasts and strong colours. Very good!
Sound: Not only during the attack of the Kraken there are masses of sound effects, which provide a high spatiality and dynamics for the sound. The German soundtrack can fully convince both in the Dolby Digital 5.1, as well as in the slightly more powerful DTS mix. Very good!
Extras: The double DVD Special Edition has plenty of interesting and entertaining bonus material to offer, which is overall pleasantly free of advertising. Of course, the usual praise is not dispensed with, but overall the beating of the advertising drum is kept within tolerable limits and a good insight is thrown into the making of the spectacle. Things kick off on DVD 1 with an audio commentaryby the two writers, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, who have given the makers a grey hair or two, having only finished writing at the last minute. The commentary from the two offers a good insight into their work and the making of the film as a whole.
Furthermore, there are trailers and the "cursed pirate mishaps" (03:42) on the first disc, which are quite amusing but not really mind-blowingly funny. The really good extras are only on the second disc. There it starts with a short documentary about the preparations (24:38). From the preliminary meetings to location scouting to casting and set construction, many aspects are interestingly conveyed here. What's amazing is that they struggled with the budget until the very end, so much so that for a while it didn't look good for the film at all. Here it becomes clear once again that studios, or the financiers are not at all about the film itself, but only about the numbers. So it's no wonder that so many bad but profitable movies get a sequel (not meaning Pirates, of course!!!)
Continues with a very good, 1-hour making of, which takes a deeper look into the filming. The work on remote locations, the enormous logistical performance, which were necessary by the many location changes, but also considerable delays and destruction by hurricane Wilma are revealed here to the inclined viewer. For this, a Very Good!!!
Continues with a very intense look at Captain Jack Sparrow. Whether it's his beard, teeth, hat, belt, keys or compass, all of his accessories get their own featurette here, which can be viewed individually, or together (approx. 26 mins). Of particular interest here is the story about Jack's shearling. The little piece of cloth was specially made by weavers in the Turkish hinterland. Since they wanted exactly the same fabric here for Part 2 as they had in Part 1, but all contact information had been lost, a staff member had to travel to Turkey to track down the makers. That in an age where giant octopuses and other vermin can be made lifelike on a computer, such an effort is still made for a piece of fabric is quite amazing.
Continue with a look at the training of Orlando Bloom (05:23), Keira Knightley (04:54) and Jack Davenport (05:05) before Davy Jones gets his own documentary dedicated to him (12:33). The making of the Kraken (09:59) is also looked at in a little more detail.
Following the enormous success of the first film, the titular attraction in Disney Land naturally needed to be modernized, which you learn a little more about in another short documentary (12:29. Finally, there's a more in-depth look at the making of the bone cage scene (03:40), a photo diary from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, as well as a look at the premiere at Disneyland (03:50).
In addition, five Easter Eggs have been hidden in the menus of the second disc, where you can learn more about the catering, movie dog Chopper, or the so-called coconut man, among other things. The only downer: you look for a preview of Part 3 on the disc in vain.
Conclusion: "Pirates of the Caribbean - Pirates of the Caribbean 2" is without question great cinematic fun, which tries to cover up its weaknesses a little too obviously with special effects. However, the true quality of the middle part of the trilogy will probably only really be measured after the release of the third part. The double DVD of the most successful film of 2006, however, can already convince all along the line. Technically flawless, the second disc delivers plenty of extras worth seeing without the usual promo character. Absolutely recommendable!
Original Title: Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man`s Chest
Director: Gore Verbinski
Number of Discs: 2
Languages: German (Dolby Digital 5.1 + DTS), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
Subtitles: German, English, Turkish
Image Format: 16:9 (2.35:1)
Extras: Audio Commentary, Outtakes, Making of, Featurettes, Trailer, Photo Diary, Easter Eggs
FSK: age 12+
Length: approx. 145 min.
Regional code: 2
