Noisy and quite fun but not as good as I had hoped for thanks to a darker approach that doesn't have the material to really sustain it

Rating: Null/10 (4 August 2006)

On their wedding day, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan find themselves arrested for helping Jack Sparrow to break out of jail. Facing the death penalty themselves, Will accepts a deal from the East Indian Trading Company to win their freedom by getting an enchanted compass from Sparrow. As Will sets off to track down his acquaintance, Sparrow has his own problems. The deal he made with Davy Jones all those years ago is due and Jones himself is coming to settle the debt. Meanwhile Elizabeth's father arranges for her escape and she sets out to find Jack and Will.
Having enjoyed the first film and applauded the Oscar nomination for Depp, I was looking forward to more of the same and went to see this film on the fist weekend. I was slightly on edge because of having of having to share a cinema with a group of chavs determined not to let anyone forget they were at the back, but settled into it. The opening of the film is rather heavy as it sets up the plot and it does rather lack the fun that the first film had  which is sadly how much of it turns out to be. It doesn't really help that the plot doesn't make a great deal of sense at times and that the film is too long but generally the main problem is that at times it forgets that first and foremost it is supposed to be entertaining. Others have wittily ripped of The Guardian newspaper by describing this as The Empire Strikes Jack, which is fine because it does have a good try at being dark and interesting, but it is at the expense of the fun.
It does have moments throughout the film that are funny and entertaining but it puts too much emphasis on the plot (which isn't that great) and the darker tone. The latter is a problem then because the first film never took itself that seriously so it is a bit jarring as an audience member to be expected to suddenly buy into this film as the second part in a dark, sea-faring trilogy. The direction is still good and visually the film is very impressive; the sets, costumes and make-up are very convincing and the special effects look like every penny was spent (but they also merge well into the film and don't stand out for their own sake). Depp is as good as he was in the first film but here is sidelined by the many other characters and threads. It is a real shame and a big reason why it feels less fun than before  he has less to do and less to work with. Bloom is rather wooden and history may well remember him (assuming it does) as someone who lucked their way into two massive trilogies of the time before fading away. This may be a bit cruel but his performance isn't anything special and he is totally in Depp's shadow. Knightley is a bit better because she is feisty and fun. Nighy is a great addition  not only for his character but also for his performance, which is fun and slightly menacing; god only knows what the film would have been like without him because he does steal many of the scenes. Support from Skarsgård, Crook, McNally, Pryce, Davenport and others is mostly good but really the film could have done with a few characters and threads being scaled back to make for a brisker and pacier film. Harris was a surprise find and I was impressed she still managed to be sexual while under very ugly makeup.
Overall then this is an OK summer film but those that loved the irreverent sense of fun of the original will probably feel a bit let down. It is still a solid film and the dark edge makes for a more rounded film  albeit not one that I actually wanted but still a good one. Visually it is amazing and I was never really bored at any point but I would have liked it have been a bit more fun than it was and also for the darker stuff to have had a bit more substance.