Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is like a theme-park ride. But this ride, which lasts more than 150 minutes, is too long for anyone's attention span, despite all the action, slapstick humour and expensive special effects.
Directed by Gore Verbinski, the film follows the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). We learn that Sparrow is in debt to Davy Jones, the captain of a ghost ship. To stay alive, he must find the chest that hides Jones' beating heart.
For some reason, the British navy is also interested in Captain Jones' heart. To add to the confusion, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) are dragged along for the ride.
Added to the main plot is the father-and-son relationship between Will and his long-lost dad Bootstrap Bill. Bootstrap Bill is part of Captain Jones' crew of zombie-like creatures with the heads of fish and sharks.
There is also a romantic subplot involving Elizabeth and Sparrow. We may see a love triangle in the next Pirates episode.
So how does the story end? It doesn't really. The filmmakers want to save the answers for the final instalment of this profitable pirate-adventure franchise. This is a clever marketing ploy, but it also means this movie is fairly pointless.
That said, it's impossible not to be impressed by scenes such as the battle between Sparrow's pirate ship the Black Pearl and a giant octopus. Depp also delivers a comical performance that makes Sparrow one of Disney's most successful and irresistible characters in recent years.
Anyone who has been to a Disney theme park should know that a great ride is all about spectacles and thrills. In the same way, this film can be considered a success, not because of the plot or characters but because it's fun. It's a shame that this seems to be the only standard in Hollywood.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is now showing
