You can't top Pirates with Pirates, but this is a worthy attempt...

Rating: 8/10 (10 July 2006)

Captain Jack Sparrow sets sail again, this time with the notorious Davey Jones looming over his head, leaving the usually imperturbable Captain Jack fleeing for his soul.
The Curse of the Black Pearl was an anomaly that set the bar to a height that may well be unattainable. How often does one find a movie that has so much going against it, and it still remains a success. Originally, when executives discussed the plan of making a movie based on the beloved theme-park attraction, they conceived a made-for-video movie that would attempt to make a low-budget story out of a ride without a clear story.
The first film worked because they didn't try to make sense of the ride (which as much as I love it, the story of the ride would make a very dull pirate movie) Rather they tried to create a swashbuckling pirate movie that would rejuvenate the franchise for generations to come, and with the amazing talent of Johnny Depp in their corner, create one of the most memorable characters to ever hit the silver screen.
The first movie could stand alone as a complete story, without need for further delving into the legends of Captain Jack, but where would be the fun (and profit) of that? Dead Man's Chest suffers from the trilogy syndrome, much in the same way that Back to the Future and Lord of the Rings suffered: The second movie will inevitably remain the weakest of the three, and during it's initial release, will become the whipping-boy for the franchise. Because the public is mostly aware that the third movie is in the works, the story is created as a bridge between the first and second movie, and will always result in a cliff-hanger of sorts. Those who are unaware of the impending third movie will scorn the directors for leaving it so open at the end, and the more informed viewers will overlook the film to keep their eye focused on the conclusion of the story.
Sadly, the studio themselves seemingly do the same thing. Production values on Dead Man's Chest were not as high as they were for the Curse of the Black Pearl, and it's likely that the studio is more focused on part 3, making part 2 more of a necessary evil rather than an important piece of the puzzle.
That notwithstanding, the movie itself is fun. The action sequences are exciting, the jokes (although not as witty and original as they were in the first) are great, and Captain Jack is just as lovable a rogue as ever. The blending of CGI in this film compared to the first is not as smooth, and there are some design issues for several of the creatures that ILM created this time around.
Walt Disney hated sequels, and when asked why he wouldn't do a sequel to the Three Little Pigs, he simply stated that "you can't top pigs with pigs." In this case, you can't do it with Pirates either.
Overall, it's still a fun and exciting movie, and it leads into what promises to be an equally fun and exciting third installment. As long as you don't expect it to surpass the first film, you should enjoy this adventure with Captain Jack