Pirates, Squid/Fishfaces, Kraken And A Dead Man's Chest

Rating: Null/10 (3 August 2008)

The first time I saw 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest', I disliked it so much that I didn't bother finishing. However, something motivated me to give it another chance and surprisingly I enjoyed it. It is quite well executed. The action sequences and stunts are brilliantly choreographed. My favourite one was the three-way sword fight that continued through a spinning wheel. I liked that the director used minimal CGI for these scenes. The cinematography is stunning and the exotic landscape is breathtaking.
The actors do a fairly good job of reprising their role. It's great to see Johnny Depp again as Jack Sparrow. Orlando Bloom is quite alright but his chemistry with Keira Knightley appears to be weaker than in the first movie. Knightley does an okay job too. Jack Davenport is a surprise to watch in a different gettup. Bill Nighy is great as the squid-faced villain and Naomie Harris is convincing as the witch with the Jamaican accent. The rest of the cast are adequate.
The dialogues are funny and witty and the comedy works but at times, 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' felt more like a repetition than a continuation of 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl'. The CGI, particularly on Davy Jones and his crew looked poor when compared to that used in Peter Jackson's 'King Kong' (the kind which would have excellently worked for this movie). The ending is unintentionally funny and seems very rushed. Not to mention, it's continuous (a cliffhanger ending) so the third one better be good.
For me, what stood out more about this movie than the first one were the amazing outdoorsy locations and the action scenes. It's quite a good sequel and very entertaining. Hopefully, the third one properly rounds up the trilogy and not end up like the disastrous 'X-Men'.