Captain Jack Sparrow and The Heart of Davy Jones

It's been a while since I've watched the original version of this one, but I do recall it being somewhat long and overwrought for what should be a fast-paced adventure spree. I had to come back and look at the changes list to remind me of what TM2YC had cut out.

As other reviewers have noted: I didn't notice the removed parts. I had completely forgotten the black spot and love triangle subplots, and the movie is the better without them. Between those deletions and the rearranging, the movie moved at a quick pace, had a straightforward plot, and was the fun romp it wanted to be. There's a couple of very minor details that crop up due to the edit--the one I specifically noted while watching was "how and when did Jack lose his hat?" but I'll take those with the huge improvement in pacing and story.

The video and audio edits are flawless, there's no point that I could say where the edit was made. I'm a little disappointed audio was just stereo, but it still sounded good.

A tight, to the point edit of the first POTC sequel, smartly edited to pick up the pace and make it a more enjoyable adventure movie.

I honestly have to say that at moments I felt like I was watching the original Indiana Jones trilogy, which is sort of on the same level as the original POTC, Curse of the Black Pearl.

While the script is not as good and the previos entry, TM2YC smartly removes and rearranges scenes for a full blown action fantasy movie. No cut scene was missed.

Unfortunately, we have yet another 2.0 audio track; therefore the usual points are deducted from A/V quality.

It's been a few years since I saw the original, but it's testament to how well TM2YC has edited this film that I didn't notice anything missing. In fact, I was nearly at the end when I suddenly remembered "oh yeah, the love triangle is gone." If that's not a statement on a) how well the Editor has structured this and b) how unnecessary that was in the original script, then nothing is.

The edit works excellently, with a stirring Indiana Jones-esque feel (especially with the title card overlaying a man painting a map), and the ending is much stronger. By removing certain elements (esp. the aforementioned love triangle; and Jack's "Black Spot" subplot at the start) the story gets going much more quickly, and the characters develop much more strongly here.

That being said... the film still isn't a patch on the original, even with TM2YC's excellent work. Unfortunately, this is due to the weaknesses of the script itself. The decision to make two sequels back-to-back means that this film essentially ends halfway through it's second act. There is no meaningful resolution for anyone, and if anything this kind of film might very nicely be turned into a four-part Mini-Series (something to consider...) I think the structure of the plot would suit that much more nicely. But this is a creative thought, nothing to do with TM2YC's edit, which improves on a flawed film as much as possible. As said, any flaws are with the source material, not the Editor's work.

I am excited to watch the third episode, which dragged horrifically in the theatrical version.
This would easily be a replacement on the original.

Gosh, this was terrific! I never cared much for any of the "Pirates" movies past the first one due to them being over-long, unpleasant to look at, and damn near incomprehensible. I'm happy to say that TM2YC has redeemed this one for me in a big way. The color correction? Perfect. The restructuring and simplification of the plot? Inspired. And it's funny, while one of my major complaints about the theatrical cut of Dead Man's Chest was the preponderance of lengthy, ridiculous action sequences, here they didn't bother me at all! Even though the editor left all of these scenes relatively untouched, the length of these scenes doesn't grate in the same way (at least for me). I think the reason for this is the improved pacing. Since it now doesn't take forever to get through every single scene, and since the plot is so streamlined, these sequences now feel like logically-placed, epic set-pieces instead of just one more thing that's getting in the way and slowing the narrative down.

I only have a couple of negative things to say, and they are very minor. Firstly, for a movie called "Captain Jack Sparrow and the Heart of Davy Jones" the titular pirate feels awfully sidelined. It's not a criticism of the cuts, as they were all well chosen, but since the movie focuses much more on Will and Elizabeth, it's hard to really see this as Jack's adventure. And lastly (yes this really is it), I will echo the sentiment of other reviewers that, while I like the new ending, it does end rather abruptly, meaning the final moment doesn't land properly.

All in all, though, this is a very professional and enjoyable edit and a much more worthy follow-up to the first film. I highly recommend watching it, and in the best possible quality for your setup.

Let me come right out and say it: POTC 2 and 3 were huge disappointments to me. The first POTC was a great adventure and a fun ride. The following 2 films were stuffed full of pointless and unnecessary action, convoluted, confusing character motivations, and over-the-top visuals and plot lines. What started the series as a "realistic" setting - putting aside cursed gold - quickly turned into a mythological, epic behemoth... of a let down... Why do film-makers think sequels need to be bigger to be better?

On to this edit: let's start with the good stuff. Not just good - but great! The audio/video quality was simply outstanding. I forgot how beautiful some of the cinematography was in this film... probably because it wasn't so beautiful until TM2YC color-corrected it! The picture quality was immaculate.
I watched this edit with a friend - we both agreed that in terms of editing/cuts, neither one of us could tell this wasn't a theatrical release. No noticeable edit or transition. (from a quality perspective) Quite impressive!

Now on to the narrative... I was hoping that TM2YC could make me enjoy this film... but I was disappointed. I probably went in expecting too much, which left my ending opinion sullied.
Is this an improved version? Absolutely, no question - but I feel like not enough was cut, as the running time could still allow for a LOT more... Especially in the action sequences that plague this film...

Would I recommend this edit as an alternative? Absolutely. This has replaced my copy on the shelf - but I don't foresee wanting to watch either version again...

Would it bring someone around that didn't like Dead Man's Chest? Possible... but don't get your hopes up.