Fun Time at the Movies, but Ultimately Underwhelming

Rating: 6/10 (18 July 2006)

The short summary is that Jack Sparrow now owes his soul to Davey Jones and Will Turner and Elizabeth end back up together to prevent this from happening. They are searching the seas and isles for a special key that leads a chest of an unusual nature. All that stands in their way in another grisly crew of another haunted ship, not to mention the mythic creature that is trying to swallow the Black Pearl.
Overall, I will say, that this film is entertaining. Johnny Depp shines brightly and just as in the Curse of the Black Pearl, makes this film much more enjoyable. Keira Knightley puts in another solid performance and Orlando Bloom does fine as well. Dead Man's Chest is a bit darker than the first, but maintains much of the spirit that a Disney film offers (see scenes with bone cage and again with the big wheel).
Although I was entertained I was underwhelmed by the film. I thought the story was loosely put together and was not driven by a solid plot. It did not seem like the writers did not put much thought into how they were going to bring Jack, Will, and Elizabeth all back together and that lack of thought continued into much of the film. They tried to cram too much into the already long 2 1/2 hours that the film runs. Contributing to this problem is the plethora of characters. Although the plot centers around the main cast they bring back a lot of characters we did not need to see again from the first film and many new characters that did not add anything redeeming.
As previously stated, I enjoyed the movie and would not tell anyone to not go see it. I just think that it had too many faults and that not enough time was put into the thought process that led to what we saw in the theater. I am happy people are going to the movies, but not worth achieving the status as top grossing film.