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If you’re one of those people that hate cliffhanger endings, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest is not the movie for you. Just wait until the DVD comes out to watch it.
That said, I had my suspicions about the end of this movie because they filmed both PotC 2 and 3 at the same time. I figured they would both have something to do with each other. Overall, though, I’d say it was a pretty good movie.
But, don’t read this if you don’t want to read a bunch of spoilers. 😉
The movie was pretty much like the first one. Lots of jokes, some slapstick humor, and good-looking actors in pirate costumes. I thought that the jokes sometimes made the movie a little bit sillier than it had to be. But hey, it’s a movie about pirates with Johnny Depp in it. Who cares?
It starts off with Will being arrested on his wedding for aiding Captain Sparrow (from the first movie), a well known condemned criminal and pirate. The penalty? Death. They soon afterwards arrest Elizabeth for committing the same crime. Captain Jack Sparrow still is on his Black Pearl, pirating across the ocean, without much luck hitting gold, it would seem. Instead, he’s searching for the key to Davy Jones locker. Supposedly, if you can find the Dead Man’s chest, you can capture and control the “devil himself.” Apparently, Captain Sparrow has made a deal with Davy Jones in the past, that, if Captain Jack gets to be Captain for 13 years, then he’ll serve Davy Jones for eternity. Bootstrap Bill Turner shows up to remind Johnny of the debt he owes to Davy Jones in exchange for 13 years of captaining the Black Pearl.
In the mean time, Will must find Captain Sparrow’s compass and return to the island with it. In exchange for the compass, Will and Elizabeth will be pardoned. In this movie, we’re finally told why the compass never points north: it always points to what you desire most.
All of this leads to awesome pirate dueling, wisecracks, and the same fun from the last Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Throughout the movie, the theme was that selfishness doesn’t solve anything. Captain Sparrow wanted the Dead Man’s Chest so that he could free himself. Will wanted to have the chest so that he could free himself and Elizabeth. Former Commodore Norrington wanted the chest so that he could reclaim his place among the British Navy.
Such selfishness doesn’t get you anywhere among your friends or your enemies. In fact, selfishness is one of the “seven deadlies”. It’s a sin, and just like any other sin, it’ll get you condemned to a very hot place. Elizabeth tells Captain Jack that she believes there is good in him, and that in the end, he will do the right thing. So, in order to “redeem himself”, Captain Jack Sparrow goes back to the Black Pearl as the crew that he abandoned tries to save themselves and the ship. But can he redeem himself? According to the movie, there’s no way to get out of an oath made with Davy Jones.
Thankfully for us, though, we do have someone who has already redeemed us. Jesus. You don’t have to try to redeem yourself by killing a Beastie (sin), or by saving a ship. Jesus died for you. He took care of the devil for you and because of that, you’ll be in Heaven with Him some day. You don’t have to worry about the kraken of sin anymore. The debt’s paid in full.
Of course, this doesn’t answer what happens to Will and Elizabeth. Is Will finally free of Elizabeth and single now? Will Johnny come back? Why the heck does what’s-his-name want Davy Jones heart? Is Bootstrap ever going to be saved by his son? Will his barnacles go away? Isn’t Barbosa supposed to be dead? WHAT THE IS GOING ON HERE!? If you’re still wondering about these questions like I am, it’s going to be a while before we find our answers.
In the mean time, rest in the knowledge that the most important questions, like where you’re going to spend eternity and are you forgiven for your sins, are already answered. The answer is Jesus.
Anna Joy Holbird is an incoming freshman at Concordia University in Seward, NE. She serves as the Reflections Content Manager for Higher Things Internet Services. Check out her blog, Mostly Toomey & Eunice.
Title: “For All Saints: A Higher Things Fall Retreat”
