Not AS Good, but Pretty Good

Rating: 7/10 (17 June 2007)

I have an 11-yr old daughter. We saw this movie 3 times in its first 3 days. And we'll see it again.
OK, it's not as fresh as "Pearl," but the genre of pirates was dead before that film. The actors and their dialogue revived it wonderfully.
The cast is terrific, each a wonderful actor in his /her own right. As an ensemble, each is complemented.
What I didn't like: Too much with the special effects! Stop already, Mr Bruckheimer. Many explosions does not a great film make.
Not enough smart-alecks. Jack's always got the best one-liners (of course), but this movie, he's got them all. Ted & Terry, what happened to that wonderful irreverence, we miss it.
The bit with Tia Dalma /Calypso morphing into the 50-Ft Tall Woman. Naomie Harris deserved better than that.
What I did like: Johnny Depp's Cap't Jack --how can you not? I've been a Depp fan since "Scissorhands" and he just gets better and better. Jack's a rogue, he's selfish, he's charming, he's been a skeleton and been swallowed by a fish. But he still cringes when he hears his father's voice.... Yeah, and he keeps losing his ship.
Mercer's unmerciful death. So it's not nice, but he had it coming.
Will. Much nastier sort of Will than before. Although he was by no means the "bland" fellow I keep reading about (who was it made the first kill in the first movie?), this time Will's all grown up. When Jones stabbed him, it was a great scene. Awful thing but a great scene.
Ragetti's eye!
Lighten up, it's a pirate movie. It ties up all the story lines and leaves a few possibilities for more Pirates of the Caribbean movies --not a bad thing at all.
My 11-yr old would love that.