Repulsive looking Davy Jones but Captain Jack is still a Charmer

Rating: 6/10 (2 August 2006)

I'm a big Johnny Depp fan and a BIG Captain Jack Sparrow Fan (I even have a Captain Jack Sparrow T-shirt I wear all the time). This being the case, I don't think it would've been possible for me not to have liked Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest at all. However, I was hoping to come away from the movie just as excited about it, as I was after seeing Pirates of the Caribbean Curse of the Black Pearl, but I wasn't. The sequel fell short of the originality and nonstop excitement we got in the first.
The biggest disappointment in Dead Man's Chest is the character of Davy Jones played by Bill Nighy. It seems ironic that Jack Sparrow's character was a sure sign of genius and ingenuity from the creative mind of Johnny Depp, and is what made Pirates of the Caribbean the phenomenon it is today. Yet in the sequel, someone came up with a repulsive looking Davy Jones who is half man/half sea creature. He had the characteristics of cross-between a Star Wars and Lord of the Rings monster with eyes befitting a mass murderer from some horror flick. I found it difficult to look at the screen when there were close-ups of him, which was often. Bootstrap Bill's character, played by Stellan Skarsgård wasn't as bad, but unimpressive as well. He looked like some kind of freak in a costume someone would throw together on Halloween night.
Other than a few characters missing, the cast from Curse of Black Pearl was in Dead Man's Chest and it was enjoyable to see an ensemble of the old delightfully original and charismatic characters again.
As for Captain Jack Sparrow, well as can be expected he was the star of the show; however, Depp appeared to play the character with less flamboyance and animation this time around. I wondered if Depp might have enjoyed pretending to be a real-life pirate more in Curse of the Black Pearl than he did in Dead Man's Chest. The thrill of it all might have faded just a bit, which wouldn't be hard to understand considering Johnny Depp's apparent need for unusual, offbeat and eccentric roles.
The best part of the Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest is the ending which makes you leave the theater wishing the Part III sequel was playing the next day. There is an unexpected twist that will keep you wondering how it will play out in the sequel.
Bottom line... Is it worth seeing? Yes. Is it as good as the first? Unfortunately not. Will I see Part III? You bet!