Good.but not as good as the first.

Rating: 7/10 (8 July 2006)

When this film was announced I was very skeptical,I thought the first one didn't need a sequel.So going into the film my expectations were somewhat low,but a repeated viewing of the first one before I saw this one got me excited about seeing it.When I finally saw it I have to say it met my expectations.Pirates of the Caribbean:Dead Man's Chest was a good movie,but just not as good as the original.
The film starts with Will and Elizabeth being arrested on their wedding day by Lord Becket(a British officer)for assisting Jack Sparrow in escaping in the first film.Becket makes Will go find Jack and take Jack's compass and bring it back to him in exchange for his and Elizabeth's freedom.As Will searches for Jack we learn that Jack owes a debt to the squid faced Davy Jones and the only way to get out of it is to find the Dead Man's Chest.
Probably the most interesting aspect of this film is the story,it is both the strongest and weakest part of the film.I loved how it expanded on all of the characters from the first film,and the plot is very original and unique.The plot was amazing,but the execution of it in the story was not as amazing.The pacing was at many times bad,and I found the story very confusing at times and hard to follow(part of this problem comes from some of the actors hard to understand accents).Everything else in the film was all top notch.The directing was wonderful,and the special effects were superb(a big pat on the back for ILM).The acting was just as good as it was in the original(partly because most of the cast returned).
My biggest problem with this film was the lack of action.I know in a sequel you must have more story,but there was very little action.One of the biggest problems with the action was the bad pacing of the action.There was very little action until the very end,but the action at the end was really great.My only other gripe is Jack Sparrow,now he is hilarious but they basically put this film on his shoulders and his slapstick jokes got old after about halfway through the film.
All in all this film is a really good popcorn movie,and many will watch this and love it but I just wanted a little more from it.I loved the first film and was sadly disappointed with this sequel.It is still way better than most other films this year(except Superman Returns which is still my favorite).
Score:A good 7 out of 10!