Not A Patch On The First Movie

Rating: 7/10 (12 March 2018)

Continuing my plan to watch every Johnny Depp movie in order, I come to his first sequel (not counting his 19 seconds in Freddy's Dead) Pirates Of The Carribean: Dead Man's Chest.
Because the first movie made so much money, it was inevitable we would get a sequel. It was also linevitable the sequel would be of inferior quality. The filmmakers decided to make two further instalments back-to-back. Since Empire Strikes Back, every film maker with an eye on a trilogy feels that the second movie must be darker than the first movie.
Dead Man's Chest is full of plot holes, inexplicable character actions and is not half as much fun as its predecessor. Pacing is a huge problem, the movie slogs through about hour of set-up before launching into its main story. For what is pretty much just a simple quest movie: find the key and chest, and use one to open the other, for the next 90 minutes.
I find it hard to figure how a movie with the central character of Captain Jack Sparrow could ever be anything but fun. Depp is in top form again, making Captain Jack the most dashing scoundrel since Han Solo (there is more than one similarity with Solo and his character arc).
Kiera Knightley is a bit more than the obligatory love interest she was in the first movie. This one takes Elizabeth's romantic life in an unexpected direction, as sparks fly between her and Jack (Even if she does not want to admit it) Knightley and Depp have decent chemistry. Knightley and Orlando Bloom do not. They are a much more interesting couple
Orlando Bloom's Will is not much more than he was in the first movie, the dashing hero. Bloom is more than ok, but he is often overshadowed by Depp and Knightley. Davy Jones represents a creepy villain (great CGI), Jonathan Pryce and Jack Davenport both return, as do the comedic duo of Mackenzie Crook and Lee Arenberg as pirate versions of C3PO and R2D2. Yes, I know, another Star Wars nod.
The slow, uneven beginning is not really compensated for by the climax, which drags on about twenty minutes too long, with one scene after another, just leaving you feeling blah as it drags to the end credits. It's a common problem in movies these days, as the movie makers are more interested in putting scenes in movies, to put things in place for the next instalment rather than concentrating on one solid instalment. There were no further movies planned (though I'm sure Disney had hopes of a franchise) when the first movie was made, and it's to the movie's benefit.
Despite being nowhere near as fun or fresh as the first movie POTC: Dead Mans Chest grossed $423 million at the domestic box office to become the highest-grossing movie of 2006. Making it Depp's highest grossing and best performing movie.
For a time, this movie also held the box-office record for the highest opening weekend with $135,634,554 dollars earned.