Can't help but feel disappointed

Rating: 7/10 (6 July 2006)

I loved the first POTC and am a big fan of Johnny Depp's movies, and indeed the man himself is pretty much flawless again in this sequel. My gripe really centres around the unnecessarily complicated plot and the overall length of the film. Unlike the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings trilogy there is nothing in the screenplay to really justify the bum-numbing 150 minutes spent watching this film, particularly as the plot takes so long to get going. The major set pieces involving the island cannibals and the key to Davy Jones' locker are good but seriously in need of editing, and although the CGI effects are impressive, there really is only so many times you can marvel at the 'beastie' before its time to stifle the yawns. Anyone who saw King Kong and experienced midway restlessness will probably recognise similar symptoms here too. That said, the performances by the lead actors are excellent and although the script doesn't seem to provide the same number of laughs found in the first film, this is generally not a poor sequel. Expectation gained from the first film is likely to be an issue when assessing the merits of the sequel and most fans of JD will not be too disappointed, I just hope this 'trilogy' does a 'Back to the Future' and ends with a pacey flourish, rather than a further need for pressure-relieving cushions.