Huge disappointment

Rating: 4/10 (14 August 2006)

The first was delightfully inventive, subversive and thoroughly entertaining. The follow-up, sadly, is a bloated and confused mess. Giving Depp little to work with, the strong lead character who drives the initial film has not evolved. This time around Sparrow's been reduced to a role of lesser import and, painfully, one comprised primarily of repetitive buffoonery.
Too many under-developed characters and a convoluted plot, the sequel relies on CG histrionics to sustain energy and fails miserably, collapsing under its own weight. Bill Nighy is terrific, easily giving the film's best performance. But Dead Man's Chest simply crumbles down around him and commits a film's worst sin: it becomes tedious and ultimately boring.
Of course, none of this matters one whit. Marketed to a fair-thee-well, this film has become a must-see event that has transcended the need to be an artistic success. Matrix 2 and 3 anyone?