Matches Pirates 1 blow for blow, and then some

Rating: 10/10 (7 July 2006)

Wow, this movie was truly awesome! The first one was truly awesome, but this one packed the same punch. I was glad to see the return of Norrington and some of the memorable crew members too like the first mate, the hamburger and hot dog pirates (the short fat guy and the tall skinny one with one eye. I don't remember their names but they remind me of an old Bugs Bunny cartoon in which two marooned sailors get so hungry that the each hallucinate that the other one is a hamburger/hot dog), and Barbossa makes a come back at the very end.
I just like how in this movie, through dialog the possibly confusing parts of the plot are all explained. You gotta like movies that do that for you. One confused character takes on your confusion and asks another character of the plot specifics. Anyways, getting side-tracked. You still have the same antagonists. On one side there are the evil and unholy type of undead pirates, on the other side there is the British Empire presenting another obstacle. And in the middle you have Jack and his crew and Will and Elizabeth. Jack and his crew trying to protect a treasure of some kind and Will and Elizabeth trying to protect each other. But they all get mixed up together again and need each other to get what they want.
Jack's compass was an interesting aspect too. Pointing out what the characters wanted most. I liked the little side plot too between Elizabeth and Jack.They were supposed to be the antithesis of one another. Through Elizabeth, Jack was able to be a hero and save the lives of the rest of the crew. And through Jack, Elizabeth was able to let go and do something "bad", or finally become a "pirate" like Jack calls her at the end. At first the plot flirted with a possible romantic interplay between the two when the compass she held pointed at Jack. It seems that he more represented her need to show her bad side or in another way, her path to saving Will. Nice twist.
Of course, Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp are F.I.N.E.-fine! You cab't go wrong with that kind of eye candy. (give me Johnny Depp any day of the week!)
And the ending is a huge cliffhanger! It will go right into the third movie. Nothing gets resolved at the end of this movie. We have to wait until the next one to find out how things play out. Which is cool because a lot of movies flop if they try at a third storyline. I feel bad for people who can't just enjoy movies like this and feel the need to compare everything to real life. It's a fantasy/mythological story. It isn't supposed to be real.