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.

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.

There are two reasons I didn't really notice that there had been things removed from this edit: I haven't watched "Dead Man's Chest" in full for a number of years, and TM2YC's editing was that great. Watching this edit, it was readily apparent just how bloated the original film is. Nothing that was cut I especially noticed or missed, minus the scenes involving the black spot and Jack's first meeting with Bootstrap Bill, plus the whole process of getting the drawing the key. That said, I only noticed after they would have already transpired, so no loss there.

However, I did have a thought as to the appropriateness of the title "The Adventures of Jack Sparrow." Seeing as this is supposed to be a series about Jack, it would seem appropriate that there would be more scenes concerning him and perhaps fewer concerning other characters. It's not really until "On Stranger Tides" that Jack really takes center stage. A minor quibble about something that is on screen for ten seconds, but hey, I have to say something critical right?

The editing was incredibly well done, save for two moments: the transition from "DAMN YOU JACK SPARROW!" to Tia Dalma's hut didn't quite work, and as was mentioned previously, the final cut to the credits was a little quick. There could have been an extra shot of Beckett looking smug or maybe the heart beating on his desk.

That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this edit. It was a fun adventure romp that the films have tried to be but failed at due to their bloated running times. The quality of the MKV I watched was very good, but I would certainly love a version of this mastered for Blu-ray. You know, for science. I heartily recommend this edit and I'm really looking forward to the next installment!

I only watched the avi. with a laptop so I can't say much on its video quality, but what I saw was great. I give it a 9! The post-credit sequence was very low quality however.

The visual editing was great. If I showed this to someone without telling them it was a fanedit, they probably wouldn't have realized it.

The audio editing was also very good, but there were a few times I noticed a cue or music off. I'm not sure which parts of that were in the theatrical release though. I should have kept track of the times I noticed. But I was too busy enjoying the movie so take it as a compliment.

Where this edit really shines is the narrative. You did more than polish a turd. You found a decent movie within the theatrical mess. Focusing the beginning on Will was great. We don't get overwhelmed (too quickly at least). It's not important knowing how Jack gets the key drawing or what's gotten him on the island. It's better just accepting that Jack's been having adventures, just like we accept Norrington was in a hurricane. That said, the beginning is a little strange at first, but the audience's (my) questions were answered pretty quickly. Removing the reference to Norrington was confusing, since my wife and I confused him for Beckett, but that just shows how long it's been since we've watched CotBP. We were just used to being coddled by the theatrical.

Other trims that are perfect: removal of the blackspot since we get the idea that Jack has a debt, Jack-Elizabeth romance.

By the end I could definitely see effects of these changes though. Will definitely still comes off as upset with Elizabeth, and Elizabeth as heartbroken over Jack. It seems odd because the fanedit emphasizes how lousy of a person Jack is. I really disliked Jack by the end of this and was confused by how everyone mourned him. That said, it's superior the the original. In the theatrical cut I remember disliking everyone by the end. But by highlighting how lousy Jack is, you've also undermined the ending, not much that can be done about that though.

In addition the ending action sequence still tired me. That sequence is just too long, and despite all the action, it's not very exciting. I found my attention slipping.

Finally, the ending cut "The heart of Davy Jones" seemed too abrupt. Even a few fractions of a second more of Norrington after the line would've helped, but maybe it was impossible to get in.

This is my preferred version of the film, and if anyone I know really wants to watch PotC, I'll be sure to recommend it.