box office bastard child of a great movie.

Rating: 3/10 (10 July 2006)

First objective for huge Hollywood action packed movie...score a lead actor worthy of attention by a large audience...second objective is to score a babe. This movie accounted for both objectives in Knightly and Depp. I am a huge fan of Depp so I enjoyed his acting talents on the big screen. Kira Knightly is a fox plain and simple. Orlando Bloom did a fantastic job of holding his own in a heroic role over-shadowed by Depp's character. For these reasons I give the movie a 3....now to why it is only a three. The plot in this movie was driven by force. As a huge fan of the first movie I was disappointed by the recycled characters and plot line. I had very high expectations going into the theater even though I should have known it is virtually impossible to follow up a masterpiece like the first one with a sequel as equally good. Instead of driving home the plot by reiterating exactly what was going on, the movie jumped around and danced through pivotal scenes. I love a good action movie yet this screamed of Hollywood trying to make a buck off ticket sales. I felt that this entire movie was a set up to get people to go see the third one which there undoubtedly will be. on this account they did a good job setting up exactly what will happen in the third movie while leaving supposed fans of the movie with a little bit of controversy. They pieced together a plot that made me feel like I was watching an extended version of the first movie.
And now to criticize myself; the two people I saw the movie with loved it. They thought it was fantastic and I guess it could have been. It is short sighted of me to ask a movie setting up a trilogy to wrap up a plot so thick with meat. It reminded me a lot of The Two Towers and the way you are left at the end of that particular book and movie. The action scenes were set up with wit and humor. Dead Man's Chest has fantastic stunt work and special effects worthy of giving credit to anyone who worked on the movie. The characters created and brought to life were disgusting and realistic.
If it weren't for a forced and recycled plot line and characters I would give the movie a 7.