Decent sequel

Rating: 7/10 (6 July 2006)

I'm a huge fan of the first "pirates", because it was just a helluva lot of fun. Luckily the sequel retains the sense of fun of the prequel. However, it lacks the surprise the unexpectedly brilliant first did. That's not to say that this is a poor film. Not at all. Indeed, the central action sequences (the island escape near the beginning and the climatic big wheel sequence especially) are terrific, with an excellent sense of humor that had me laughing out loud, to use that annoying internet phrase. The CGI is excellent, especially Davy Jones himself. And of course, Johnny Depp. What can I say, this man deserves an Oscar for his wonderfully campy Captain Jack - he was so cruelly denied one first time around.
Yet this film is not perfect. The film begins very slowly indeed, taking a good half hour to really kick off, with some confusing plot strands required to set up sequences of events (indeed, the whole cast is not reunited until well past halfway into the film). Yet the major problem lies in the poor casting of Orlando Bloom, whose quite frankly irritating hero struggles to hold the screen when Capn Jack is absent.
Overall however, this is a fine film. The surprisingly lengthy running time flies by, and Pirates is many times more enjoyable than 90% of other blockbusters due to it's sense of humor, style and fun. I must admit I'm looking forward to chapter three of this continuing quality franchise.