Great fun!

Rating: 9/10 (10 July 2006)

To begin with, this is only half a movie. If you can accept that fact then this is a very entertaining and rewarding 150 minutes. Of course it isn't as good as the first one, at least not by itself. Dead Man's Chest, the sequel to Curse of the Black Pearl is actually part one of a two-part deal, and therefore it can't be compared fairly to the original Pirates movie until both parts have been released. Black Pearl managed to tell it's entire story concisely in just 153 minutes, and that is where the Dead Man's Chest falls slightly short of it's predecessor. In places it does feel a little stretched-out, for no good reason other than to split the story across two full-length films. Dead Man's Chest just isn't as concise as Black Pearl. BUT, the action scenes never drag, the pacing is for the most part pretty fast, and the characters are all as compelling as in the first movie. I would recommend this wholeheartedly. It's ending is actually far more satisfying and "conclusive" than the rather unsatisfying Superman Returns (which was a great film until the ending which left every major plot point unresolved. This is especially annoying as we are expected to wait until 2009 for the next installment!). Overall Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a very entertaining movie, and one which lived up to expectations, well "half" lived up to them anyway. I can't wait for the other half!