Critics drop the ball yet again. The best movie of the summer thus far. Yes, even better than Superman.

Rating: 10/10 (8 July 2006)

Let's start by showing what the critics are saying about this film.
"Pirates of the Caribbean returns to theaters for more summer swashbuckling, only they may have forgotten to buckle their swash." -Joshua Tyler, Cinemablend.com.
"Yes indeed, Pirates 2.0 is a theme ride, if by ride you mean a hellish contraption into which a ticket holder is strapped, overstimulated but unsatisfied, and unable to disengage until the operator releases the restraining harness." -Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly.
"This sequel is appropriately named, because that's what you'll be staring at for nearly half the movie: dead men's chests." -Diana Saenger, Reeltalk Movie Reviews.
Oh, thank you critics. You make your misguided opinions so much easier to discredit when you think you're being funny. Aside from the obvious smear campaign these critics are trying (and will undoubtedly fail) to pull off, there was nothing about this film that didn't work for me.
First thing's first. Did you like the first one? If so, you can proceed to ignoring half of the negative reviews already -- the people who ALSO did not like the first one. Do you like the character of Jack Sparrow? Then ignore the other half, who seem to have a problem understanding that in sequels, characters are expected to return and continuity problems would arise if the actor would change the way he played that character.
Truth be told, this IS like a theme ride. But like the first one, it's like the best damn theme ride you ever rode on. The action sequences and special effects were top notch. The CGI didn't bother me so much because it didn't look like CGI. Most impressive was the way they handled Davey Jones. You really can't tell where Bill Nighy's extensive make-up becomes CGI tentacles. It's brilliant. I couldn't help but wonder why all Blockbusters couldn't be like this one. And the swordfighting? Well, don't get me wrong. These are among the greatest fight scenes I've ever seen on film. However, it seems to me someone forgot to buckle their swash. I don't know what that means, but evidently that got to SOMEONE.
All the characters are back in pure form and then some. Jack Sparrow now deals with inner turmoil, and if anyone can do that, it's Johnny Depp. Not only that, but he still retains his charm and remains just as likable in this film as he was in its predecessor. Keira Knightley gives one of the best performances of her career (topped only by her performance in Pride & Prejudice). Orlando Bloom's acting has improved as well. New additions to the cast such as Bill Nighy as Davey Jones and Stellan Skarsgaard as another important character (not saying who) also add another layer of excellence to the film.
The film's atmosphere is much darker this time around, and I gotta say I freakin' loved it. It was like all the fun of the first film with a sense of impending darkness. In fact, the film opens up on a pretty down note, and by the end, any shred of innocence the series may have had has been shot to oblivion... once again, making me glad they went for the PG-13 rating as opposed to PG.
As I said before, the climactic fight scene is one of the greatest fight scenes ever seen on film. This is the kind of stuff that would make Errol Flynn say, "whoa." It was a beautifully choreographed triple threat swordfight in the midst of an epic battle, and let me tell ya, THAT was the most fun I've had within the last three summers.
Sure, it's a lengthy picture. In this case, that's a good thing. Because in its entire running time, I never got bored. They don't give you a chance to get bored. When they're not fighting, the characters are always enough to keep you going. The story is NOT lacking as the critics will have you believe, it did NOT lose its heart, and it most certainly is NOT guilty of double-dipping. This is the best movie of the summer, and it's not Verbinski's fault, or Depp's fault, or the screenwriters' fault that critics are too thick-headed to realize that.
And a note about the ending: not only will you NOT see it coming, but you will most definitely WANT to see the third one. Sure, it's a cliffhanger ending, but I assure you, at the very last line uttered in the film, you will cheer.
100%