Overblown but Still A Lot of Fun

Rating: 7/10 (19 September 2016)

It starts off knowingly acknowledging the fact that Pirates of the Caribbean and Jack Sparrow have become pop culture phenomenons in the years since the release of the first movie. It's a bit jarring, and watching it now after the fervor surrounding the series has died down certainly makes the winking more distracting than amusing. That quickly goes away though, and we're whisked away into a story that is all over the map, a tone that less elegantly dances between slapstick humor and grand adventure than the first movie, and a Jack Sparrow that no longer feels fresh.
Still, there's no denying that many of the set-pieces here are pretty astounding, especially for how they're handled simultaneously. I love the Kraken attacks, even if they go to that well maybe one too many times. The organ playing while the ship cracks in half is a great, epic moment. Then there's Davy Jones, a CGI creation that still looks great a decade later and Bill Nighy's performance which manages to feel human.
I think this one was my favorite when I used to watch these when I was younger. It's definitely the movie I where I developed a crush on Keira Knightley. I don't think it's my favorite anymore, but it still certainly carries a rangy sort of charm once the story kicks into gear about half an hour in.