ROTTEN TOMATOES: Critical Consensus: "Dead Man's Chest" Is Overstuffed; "Scanner" Shines Darkly

Critical Consensus: "Dead Man's Chest" Is Overstuffed; "Scanner" Shines Darkly

by Tim Ryan | July 06, 2006

Summary

This week at the movies, we've got pirates back for more box office bounty ("Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest") and a journey to the center of the mind ("A Scanner Darkly"). What do the critics have to say? Back to Article

(1-26 of 26 posts) | Reply

South_park300 writes:
on Jul 06 2006 07:35 PM

um, why didnt critics say the same thing about Superman? Pirates is actually a few minutes SHORTER than Superman. Critics are really two-faced it seems...

seeing Pirates tomorrow, screw the critics

(Reply to this)

sweet phil writes:
on Jul 06 2006 07:52 PM

In reply to this comment (#839628)
because that wouldnt make much sense, kinda like your comment. superman returns was critiqued as not having enough action, and being way too slow. This is quite the opposite of "over-stuffed"

(Reply to this)

filmmaker45 writes:
on Jul 06 2006 08:12 PM

Well I am a fan of POTC so I will be seeing it. However A Scanner Darkly looks intresting as well so I may catch that one.

(Reply to this)

South_park300 writes:
on Jul 06 2006 08:34 PM

well, many critics complaints for Pirates have been it's too long, well Superman was longer, so critics should have complained about that, which would make sense.
whatever, like i said, screw the critics, i'm seeing this anyways.

(Reply to this)

darcko writes:
on Jul 06 2006 09:37 PM

The running time doesn't matter; the pacing does. Just because a certain movie is longer than another doesn't mean that it also feels longer.

I'm not a fan of Pirates but I'm still seeing it tomorrow anyway because of friends. And anyone who compares Pirates with Superman... etc. etc.

I'll just leave it at that.

(Reply to this)

Flim Springfield writes:
on Jul 06 2006 09:52 PM

A good movie always seems too short. A bad movie always seems too long. Actual running time is moot.

This movie is critic-proof anyways, it will open HUGE. However, if too many people agree with the critics, it could hurt the next sequel (like the third Matrix movie.)

(Reply to this)

South_park300 writes:
on Jul 06 2006 10:13 PM

yeah i know, and blah.

so many others were comparing the 2 movies, and im just chiming in

i just really want this movie to be good...but yeah, superman was fresh, i didnt like it. pirates is rotten, so maybe i will like it? lol yeah that sounds dumb. but here's hoping for the best!

(Reply to this)

darcko writes:
on Jul 06 2006 10:23 PM

I won't say anything. I've done a similar thing, only offline, so I'm pretty sure I sounded dumber.

Anyway, I try not to sway my opinions towards the tomatometer percentage because, after all, I'm pretty open-minded about movies. As far as Pirates goes, that opening sequence looks cool so maybe I'm just going because I'm hoping there'll be a lot of pretty scenes in it =/

(Reply to this)

nogard64 writes:
on Jul 06 2006 10:44 PM

yeah I have to say the critics have been a lil off lately, like I saw Superman and I really thought it was maybe just sub-par, par at best. And then I saw Click tonight and I was pretty much blown away! It had a great story, very touching and heart warming, and the comedy really delievered. And Adam Sandler really did a great job acting, it wasn't just his usual "I'm Adam Sandler and I will yell to get attention and you will laugh at me routine" he really created a heartfelt character. It really was like It's a Wonderful life. If I had to I would rank it in the top 5 movies I've seen this year. If you have a heart go see Click you won't regret it.

(Reply to this)

dracus writes:
on Jul 07 2006 04:49 AM

Critics and cynics be damned and stay home because this isn�t Brokeback Mountain, The Assassination of Richard Nixon or even Crash.

This is just what you want and expect to see during the summer, an old fashioned popcorn blockbuster that leaves you wanting more when it ends. It's a sequel and anyone going to see it shouldn't be surprised to see more of the same and Dead Man's Chest delivers. I loved it so bring on Number 3!

(Reply to this)

RoadDogXVIII writes:
on Jul 07 2006 07:33 AM

I'm glad you guys don't care about the latest reviews on "Pirates." All I'm hearing is that it ain't as funny as the first one, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly are horrible actors (a positive review said that they're not in it for long), and - the usual - it's too long. But who cares. I'm seeing it for Johnny Depp.

(Reply to this)

johnnyfan writes:
on Jul 07 2006 07:42 AM

[b]Pirates was good[/b]
I see why they say over-stuffed but it was well worth waiting around for midnight to come around. Johnny is hot and witty. Special effects are very cool. There are some "oh no, he didn't" parts. This movie is definately concentrating on Captain Jack Sparrow. I recommend and I think it deserves a fresher rating.

(Reply to this)

tricksta_feet17 writes:
on Jul 07 2006 08:47 AM

I thought that POTC : Dead Man's Chest had it's good moments, but was too long (as far as pacing and what not). Depp was good as Sparrow once more, the set pieces were good, and the action sequences were good. However, they tried to cram too much into this film. There are a few characters and sub-plots that, although they advance the story, could have been left out and the story changed to accomodate. For a summer movie, it's fun, but compared to the excellence of the first POTC, it's a disappointment.

(Reply to this)

Filmshark writes:
on Jul 07 2006 08:53 AM

I saw Pirates of the Caribbean last night at 12:01, and I did enjoy it. I thought it was more fun than Superman Returns and a lot of other movies I've seen this summer. The special effects are great and the cast does well also. I'd say it was at least on par with the original, although I didn't care for Davy Jones as much.

(Reply to this)

WickedBlueJay writes:
on Jul 07 2006 10:15 AM

[b]AMAZING SEQUEL![/b]
I just saw the midnight show and I must say it was nothing short of amazing. It's a lot darker though. There is very little "light-heartedness" in the movie. It's very funny but also kinda scary. But it's the best movie of the summer. All the theaters around me sold 4 theater's of PIRATES each!!! I thank Walt Disney Pictures for bringing people back to the movies. So far, X-MEN and Pirates have received big numbers. Yeah, PIRATES debuted only last night, but it was obvious that this movie will do good. Plenty of people dressed as a pirate, including myself wearing a bandana and earring, items I got for free on Disney Cruise Line. GO SEE PIRATES 2!!!!!!

(Reply to this)

cgcbooks writes:
on Jul 07 2006 10:28 AM

All pirates are GAY!!

(Reply to this)

cgcbooks writes:
on Jul 07 2006 10:29 AM

Johnny Depp sold out big time. I won't see it.

(Reply to this)

cgcbooks writes:
on Jul 07 2006 10:30 AM

Disney sucks.

(Reply to this)

new12play writes:
on Jul 07 2006 11:32 AM

Sellouts who get big movie checks and Academy Award nominations all the time. That's why this guy is great. He didnt' have to do an independent film. He still gives quality in big popcorn blockbusters.

(Reply to this)

Bane Of Anubis writes:
on Jul 07 2006 12:18 PM

[b]He's a sellout[/b]
You're a fucking idiot -- do you even know what a sellout is? God forbid you do something because you like it AND it appeals to the masses.

(Reply to this)

South_park300 writes:
on Jul 07 2006 12:51 PM

yeah, how exactly is he a sellout? get a freakin life

i really enjoyed the movie. still like the first one slightly better, but this was a great setup for the 3rd movie. the very end rocked. i can't wait until next year!

(Reply to this)

nogard64 writes:
on Jul 07 2006 01:00 PM

agreed I hate people who throw that word around (sellout) if that word means making money and wanting to make a lot of it then aren't we all sell outs?

(Reply to this)

unbreakable_samurai writes:
on Jul 07 2006 01:21 PM

Pirates looks awsome, I'm going tonight. When I bought tickets this morning half the showtimes were already soldout, so I think this is definitely going to be the highest grossing film of the summer. A Scanner Darkly looks pretty tight to, but it didn't open in my town.

(Reply to this)

darcko writes:
on Jul 08 2006 03:50 AM

Just got back from seeing Pirates 2. I still don't get the hype.

Compared to the first one (which was pretty good I think), the sequel is more of the same. The effects were such a distraction; it was hard to concentrate on the dialogue when a cursed-barnacled pirate in the background with a lobster-like... you'll just have to see it. I also thought they weren't that great; for instance, Kraken disappointed me because I was thinking of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea the entire time.

Although there's nothing new about Depp's Captain Sparrow, he's still probably THE reason to see this movie. As far as its running time, I had no problem with it. Sure there were pacing problems but I felt they were needed for the subplots.

After the island-natives captivity and the bayou scenes, which I thought were superb, there wasn't much else to the movie. It was more of the same from the first. Hopefully things will be different for the third because I'd hate to compare this series to the Matrix.

(Reply to this)

Now it's dark writes:
on Jul 08 2006 08:38 AM

[b]I'll pass.[/b]
The reviews have swayed me. I think I'll see Strangers With Candy again instead.

(Reply to this)

bigdog747x writes:
on Jul 09 2006 03:09 PM

I saw this movie at Midnite on Thursday. They sold out 3 screens for it, still not as much as Star Wars Ep3 which had 10 screens sold out. I thought the movie was a bit too long. It could of been edited to about 2:10-2:15 hours insted of 2:31 hours. I thought ILM did a great job w/the Special Effects. Especially Davey Jones, he looked real. I thought they used that big sea monster a lil bit to much. I wanted to see more of Keira, more Keira in the movie would of been better. It was a good movie, a lil too long but still enjoyable. This is the 2nd best movie I enjoyed this summer so far behind Nacho Libre.

(Reply to this)

RottenTomatoes.com