This time, they remembered to make it *fun*

Rating: 8/10 (29 September 2006)

In 2003, I think I was the only person in the world who did not like "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl". Everyone else I knew simply loved it. But I couldn't get past the fact that the filmmakers paid more attention to the special effects than to the script. I was also not a fan of the acting. Johnny Depp played Jack Sparrow with over-the-top camp, while the rest of the cast took their roles entirely too seriously. But most of all, I didn't have any fun watching the movie.
After much prodding by friends, I finally saw the sequel--"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"--and was pleasantly surprised. The problems I had with the original had vanished. Gone were the tedious expository dialog and clunky storytelling of the original. The humor was actually funny instead of forced. And kudos to the genius who came up with the idea of a 3-way sword-fight on an out-of-control mill-wheel--a great action segment that required no CGI, just incredible stunt-work.
But the biggest improvement was the acting. Instead of Geoffrey Rush trying to do a dramatic, believable ghost-pirate, we have Bill Nighy ("Still Crazy") playing the supernatural octopus-man Davy Jones with no attempt to be anything other than silly. I was also gratified to see up-and-comer Naomie Harris ("28 Days Later") in a supporting role as a fortune teller (I predict she will be a big star by decade's end). But the biggest difference is in Johnny Depp's performance. In the first film, he had no actual funny lines, so the humor had to come from his drunken, swishy mannerisms. In this one, his dialog really is funny, and the performance is decidedly less campy.
It is not perfect, however. The more I see Orlando Bloom in non-elvish roles, the less I like him. And Stellan Skarsgard simply has no knack for anything other than serious drama. And the ending meant to set up the sequel seemed forced.
But overall, this movie was a vast improvement over the original "Pirates". I'm hoping "At World's End" will be even better.