PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:

Dead Man’s Chest

2 Stars - Shallow

In the Caribbean world of Gore Verbinski, nearly everyone is a pirate, or at least acts like one.  From the merchants to the natives, the lust for wealth and power drives them to seek gleaming treasure and human flesh.  It is a world of flashing swords and fast ships, daring men and soulless monsters.  It is a world where a good man is honored but in short supply.  It is a world where love is promised but not yet fulfilled.

Darker than the first film which was also directed by Verbinski, “Dead Man’s Chest” is full of the morbid humor which made the first film a success.  We are once more entertained by Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), though he presents himself with even more of a campy demeanor.  His ship, the Black Pearl, is once more under threat, but this time, it is by the morbid villain of the sea, Davy Jones (Bill Nighy).  It seems that thirteen years earlier, Jack had made a deal with this evil captain of the ghostly Flying Dutchman and now he must pay.  His only hope is to gain the contents of a chest which will give him negotiating power over Jones.

Unwilling compatriots in this task are the honorable Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and the conflicted but alluring Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley).  Though Elizabeth is the daughter of the British governor, they are outmaneuvered by the greedy Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander).  Having secured a decree from the king to hang them for their assistance in Capt. Jack Sparrow’s escape, they are now forced into Beckett’s service in order to secure their freedom.  He also wants the chest and its powerful contents so he can rule the seas.

There are many analogous symbols within the tale which speak of the good and evil within all of us.  This is seen in Will Turner’s father who sacrifices his eternal soul in an attempt to save his son.  It is also seen in Capt. Jack himself, who, knowing that the mythical Kraken has been sent to destroy him and his ship, nevertheless returns of his own free will when he had already made his self-serving escape.  And it is seen in the lovely Elizabeth who uses her charm to entrap Capt. Jack for her own and her fiancé’s protection, revealing her duplicitous soul.

Introducing a spiritualist occult leader as their only source of guidance, along with frightening images of damned pirates in service to Davy Jones, this film is clearly not a film for children and yet it is heavily marketed to them.  Its dark images and morbid humor are reminiscent of the Disneyland ride they represent.  It is entertaining, but certainly not uplifting to our spiritual or community lives.

 

Discussion:                                   

1.       The mythical foundation of this tale speaks of dark forces with whom one can bargain and gain a tormented form of eternal life.  What or who does Davy Jones represent in real life?

 

2.       When given the choice to defer the day of judgment and stay with Davy Jones, one sailor says that he would rather take his chances with God than serve on Jones’ tormented ship.  Would you make the same choice?  Why or why not?

 

3.       The love which Will has for Elizabeth is contaminated by her relationship with Capt. Jack.  How could this impact Will and Elizabeth’s relationship?  Why do you think good girls often go after bad boys?

 

4.       The physical impossibilities of a person living with their heart outside their body reveals a different physical world than ours.  What do you believe this myth is saying about the real world?

 

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Cinema In Focus is a social and spiritual movie commentary.  Hal Conklin is former mayor of Santa Barbara and Denny Wayman is pastor of the Free Methodist Church. For more reviews: http://www.cinemainfocus.com.