Drink up, me hearties, yo-ho! I walked into the theater with "Yo Ho, Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life For Me)" running through my head. I walked out of the theater with a stern realization that a pirate's life is NOT for me. Pirates get chased by governments, eaten by cannibals, drowned, blown up, press-ganged, imprisoned, and dragged to the murky depths by sea monsters. No, what I want is the life of being able to WATCH pirates. Over and over and over again. This is a strong film, and it's not just eye-candy. Yes, it's beautiful, and of course ILM and their friends had a hand in making us believe in Davy Jones and his crew, but the acting is also great. Looking back, I didn't for a minute suspect anyone of "being an actor." They were all pirates, swashbucklers, cannibals, fugitives, witches, monsters, sailors, wenches, or whatever else. I mean, EVERYBODY had me fooled. I didn't look at Jack Sparrow and see Johnny Depp, and Kiera Knightly and Orlando Bloom both disappeared into Elizabeth wants-to-be-Turner and her fiance Will Turner. That's really the test, isn't it? Wrap us up so tightly in the story and the characters and the world that we can't find our way out until the credits run, and THEN you've succeeded as a filmmaker. More than just that, though, it's a film I want to see again. In theaters. And then own on DVD. And then I want to see the sequel (because there are, oh, a few unresolved plot points when the credits roll.) Speaking of the credits, sit through them. So there's your spoiler-free review. If you liked the first film, you'll love this one. If you never saw the first film, watch it on DVD first, because there are some key bits in it that you'll want to have seen at least once before seeing Dead Man's Chest. (Note: I cannot promise that the comments will remain spoiler-free. You have been warned.)
