Kraken (Pirates of the Caribbean)
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| Name: | The Kraken |
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| Portrayed by: | Computer graphics |
| Ships Attacked: | Black Pearl, Edinburgh Trader, two other Merchant Vessels. |
| Master: | Davy Jones |
The Kraken is a fictional sea monster, based on the legendary monster of the same name, in Walt Disney Pictures' 2006 film, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest It is controlled by Davy Jones to destroy ships at his command.
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[edit] Descriptive physical form
There is no clear shot of the Kraken, although its tentacles are seen wreaking havoc on ships. Two scenes show its gigantic mouth, lined with rows of spiked teeth. Its massive body is only viewed once, when Will Turner falls into the water and briefly glimpses it before resurfacing and swimming to safety. It looks like a gargantuan, deformed cephalopod, although its coloration makes it difficult to distinguish its body from the surrounding water. Gibbs describes it as having giant tentacles that will, "suction your face clean off," and its breath gives off a reeking odour of, "a thousand rotting corpses".
In the book, Pirates of the Caribbean: A Visual Guide, a profile view of the Kraken is seen, with a ship for scale; it is depicted as a cephalopod-like beast, with a ring of tentacles at the base of its head and a long, pointed tail.
The Kraken's tentacles were severely damaged by cannon fire and an explosion during its first and second assaults on The Black Pearl. However, when it makes its third and final attack, its wounds appear to be healed. It is unclear if the Kraken has the ability to instantly regenerate itself or if it was using different tentacles.
[edit] Calling the Kraken
The Kraken is summoned by Davy Jones, the ruler of the seas, to destroy vessels. Onboard his ghostly ship The Flying Dutchman is a massive hammer-like wheel with a carved Kraken on the top, the so-called Kraken Hammer. To call the Kraken, the crew of human/sea creatures rotate it clockwise, lifting the hammer up. When the hammer reaches its highest point, it slams down, blasting shockwaves through the ocean, calling the beast. When the Kraken is summoned to find Will Turner, Davy Jones bellows, "Let no joyful voice be heard! Let no man look up at the sky with hope! And let this day be cursed by we who ready to wake... THE KRAKEN!"
[edit] Kraken's attacks
The Kraken stalks anyone marked with the Black Spot which is delivered to its victims by The Flying Dutchman crew and can only be removed by its captain, Davy Jones. According to the writers' commentary on the Dead Man's Chest DVD, those marked with the Black Spot who are taken by the Kraken are sent to Davy Jones's Locker, where they must experience their worst fear for eternity.
The Kraken attacks by stealthily approaching a ship, slithering its tentacles up the sides of the hull, and gripping tightly, pulls it underwater. If the crew is able to fight back, the Kraken smashes the hull and masts with its tentacles and probes the decks and holds with its sensitive suckers searching for victims. It uses its two powerful forearms to rip a ship apart. Armed with his previous experience fighting the Kraken while aboard the doomed Edinburgh Trader, Will devises a strategic defense against the monster when it attacks the Black Pearl, wounding it and allowing the crew time to escape before the ship is pulled under.
The beast is so powerful it can easily tear a ship in half in mere seconds. Davy Jones uses some, but not all of these attacks to acquire new crewmen for the Flying Dutchman. As he surveys the survivors of one wrecked ship, he offers them an opportunity to delay their final judgment by joining his crew for one hundred years. He terrifies at least one soul into service. Those who refuse are killed and their bodies dumped overboard.
[edit] Attacked ships
The Kraken is seen sinking or destroying three ships throughout the film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: a fishing boat, a British merchant vessel, Edinburgh Trader, and the Black Pearl.
- The Kraken's first attack is the Turkish fishing boat. A sailor pulls Jack Sparrow's hat from the water and tries it on, unwittingly calling the Kraken. He and another crewman soon hear rumbling from the ocean depths. A massive jet of water erupts as the Kraken violently pulls the ship under the sea.
- The Edinburgh Trader, a merchant vessel that rescues Will Turner after he escapes The Flying Dutchman, is the second ship attacked. The Flying Dutchman is in pursuit and Davy Jones commands the crew to summon his leviathan with The Kraken Hammer. As the Kraken attacks, the crew valiantly tries to defend themselves and their ship. Two massive tentacles rise from the water and smash the hull in two, killing nearly everyone. Will barely escapes and stows back aboard on the Dutchman. Jones orders the other survivors killed.
- The final attack is upon The Black Pearl as it tries to escape Davy Jones. When the Pearl outruns the Dutchman, Jones summons the Kraken. Knowing what is coming, Will commands the crew to load the cannons. As the Kraken's tentacles glide up the Black Pearl's hull, Will gives the order to fire, severely wounding it. Enraged, it smashes its arms into the ship, destroying the cannons during its second assault. Will has kegs of rum and gun powder piled into a cargo net and hoisted aloft. As the Kraken grabs it, Jack Sparrow shoots into the net, causing an explosion that severely maims the monster. As the creature momentarily retreats, Sparrow gives the order to abandon ship. Elizabeth traps Jack on board, knowing the beast is only after him. When the Kraken returns, Jack charges into the creature's maw with his sword and is apparently devoured. From the longboat, the crew watch as the colossal monster drags the ship beneath the sea. Davy Jones declares Jack's debt settled.
- Another shipwreck is also shown earlier in the film. Will boards it after being deceived by Jack and Gibbs into believing that it is the Flying Dutchman. Surrounded by his dead and dying shipmates, a traumatized survivor vainly attempts to perform his duties. Will tells him the ship has run aground, but the sailor can only mutter, "No, beneath us, foul breath." Will spots another sailor whose face has been suckered off; only a mass of rumpled skin remains. Will and the other survivors are then captured by Jones' crewmen and taken prisoner aboard the real Flying Dutchman.
[edit] Appearance in At World's End
According to an early script draft that was leaked on the Internet, Davy Jones and his ship, The Flying Dutchman return in the final installment of the trilogy, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and the Kraken will as well. The leaked script has the Kraken dead on a black sand beach, with Pintel poking it with a driftwood stick. The writers have stated, however, that this draft is different to the final draft. Although the final draft is completely different, official set photos do show a similar scene.
[edit] See also
- Kraken (in mythology)
- Kraken in popular culture
