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Well, the question that people are asking is: is it good? Is it better than other sequels like, say, Matrix Reloaded? Is is better than the Sequel Holy Grails - Empire Strikes Back, Aliens and Addams Family Values?
Yes, it's good. Very good in places, but it's got weaknesses. It's a good half hour too long, for starters. After some opening exposition, Dead Man's Chest opens with an overly long and utterly unnecessary cannibal island sequence which could easily have been cut from the film and you'd've lost nothing. If you happen to be half an hour late when you go and see this film, don't bother waiting for the next showtime, just walk right in and enjoy the remaining couple of hours - because they are very enjoyable indeed.
The plot (and I'm not giving anything away here) centres around the search for villain Davy Jones' titular Dead Man's Chest, the contents of which are sufficiently valuable to make everyone in their right mind desire them.
When I read interviews before the film, everyone involved was at pains to make clear that this film was going to be 'a romp' - so I don't think I can be blamed for sitting and drumming my fingers for the first hour or so and wondering "If this film is supposed to be a romp, where's the bloody romping?". It's not until the titular chest makes it's appearence that said comedic piratical romping really shifts into gear and makes the wait worthwhile. The thing is, like Matrix Reloaded, most of this film is just exposition and setting the scene for film 3, and we're going to wait for film 3 to see if the scene setting was worthwhile. From the ending, I'd say it will be - simply because I was left sitting in the cinema at the end thinking "Bugger me, I didn't see that coming", and it's rare that any film takes me so by surprise.
The scriptwriters freely admit they used Empire Strikes Back as a template for the script, and it shows -Princess Leia Kiera Knightley snogs Han Solo Captain Jack. R2 and 3PO Pintel and Ragetti provide comic relief. Luke Skywalker Orlando Bloom is wooden but all the girls seem to fancy him. And so forth.
I hope that the scriptwriters don't use Return of the Jedi as their template for film 3 because Dead Man's Chest has done an ace job of setting up a barnstorming finale - and Ewoks would ruin it.
Oh, and there's a little scene at the end of all the credits. If you like watching credits, by all means stay for it. If you don't, by all means leave. It's one joke, and it's not a very funny one.
Yes, it's good. Very good in places, but it's got weaknesses. It's a good half hour too long, for starters. After some opening exposition, Dead Man's Chest opens with an overly long and utterly unnecessary cannibal island sequence which could easily have been cut from the film and you'd've lost nothing. If you happen to be half an hour late when you go and see this film, don't bother waiting for the next showtime, just walk right in and enjoy the remaining couple of hours - because they are very enjoyable indeed.
The plot (and I'm not giving anything away here) centres around the search for villain Davy Jones' titular Dead Man's Chest, the contents of which are sufficiently valuable to make everyone in their right mind desire them.
When I read interviews before the film, everyone involved was at pains to make clear that this film was going to be 'a romp' - so I don't think I can be blamed for sitting and drumming my fingers for the first hour or so and wondering "If this film is supposed to be a romp, where's the bloody romping?". It's not until the titular chest makes it's appearence that said comedic piratical romping really shifts into gear and makes the wait worthwhile. The thing is, like Matrix Reloaded, most of this film is just exposition and setting the scene for film 3, and we're going to wait for film 3 to see if the scene setting was worthwhile. From the ending, I'd say it will be - simply because I was left sitting in the cinema at the end thinking "Bugger me, I didn't see that coming", and it's rare that any film takes me so by surprise.
The scriptwriters freely admit they used Empire Strikes Back as a template for the script, and it shows -
I hope that the scriptwriters don't use Return of the Jedi as their template for film 3 because Dead Man's Chest has done an ace job of setting up a barnstorming finale - and Ewoks would ruin it.
Oh, and there's a little scene at the end of all the credits. If you like watching credits, by all means stay for it. If you don't, by all means leave. It's one joke, and it's not a very funny one.
