Not as fast as the first, but worth every penny

Rating: 8/10 (9 July 2006)

Following the smash hit Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl surprised audiences (as well as Hollywood when it grossed over $300 million) with Depp's savvy performance as the notorious Captain Jack Sparrow and Bloom's performance as William Turner the local blacksmith, did Disney decide that it would be a great idea to capitalize a new franchise. Marketing for the second Pirates of the Caribbean began before a second trailer was even released in theaters. Disney was hungry, and thank God they were. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a film worthy of the term "blockbuster."
The film starts off with the same musical score as the previous, but we soon find out that something wrong is happening as the score's mood changes and reveals the royal forces scatter across Port Royal. The score can make or break a film. Curse of the Black Pearl had such an amazing score that it was interesting what the new composer would do. Hans Zimmer honored the last films themes and blended them into his new score. Dead Man's Chest score is more electric than the previous orchestral Curse of the Black Pearl, but it still adds to the comedy and action in the film.
Most of the cast from Curse of the Black Pearl returned in this installment. Some notable baddies gone good are formerly damned Pintel (Lee Arenberg) and Ragaetti (Mackenzie Crook), who find the Pearl beached on Cannibal Island. They go to take it as their own, but the crew shows up after escaping the islanders. Their performance again provide nothing more than comical relief, nothing more and certainly nothing less. Another returning character is former Commodore Norrington. He has been pursuing Jack and the Pearl since Jack escaped the noose in Port Royal. Norrington describes his "story" To Gibbs as being, "One chapter behind yours."
Keira Knightley plays a more renegade Elizabeth Swann. She goes looking for Will, who has been sent to take Jack's compass and bring it back to Lord Beckett (who is now in control of Port Royal), and ends up on Tortuga when Jack and his crew are there. She also miraculously runs into former Commodore Norrington in a bar fight! Knightley's performance as Swann was nothing less than magnificent. She was impeccable in her sword-fighting debut. The highlight of her character was the tantrum she through as Norrington, Sparrow, and Turner fought. And the shocker with her character in this film is her attraction to Jack. Twice as she holds the compass (that shows the barer what s/he most desires) it points to Sparrow. In the end, she seduces Jack, which in turn lets her chain him to the deck of the Pearl as everyone abandons ship.
Orlando Bloom's performance of William Turner in this installment seemed a bit off. Its one of those things that you just can't put your finger on, but the level of arrogance that Will has in this film bothered me. Other than that Orlando's performance wasn't anything special.
In other reviews Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest has been smashed, because most of the sword fighting action didn't occur until (probably) reel six. In Curse of the Black Pearl the action was there in the very beginning. The plot took off quickly where in Dead Man's Chest; the plot takes a while to develop into the nonstop action we are accustom to.
Issues  The trailer had so much spliced audio that it misled many as to what to expect.  Alternate angles and takes were placed into the trailer. Example: Will: I'm not leaving without Jack. Shot shows Jack running away from the islanders. Will cont'd: Never mind let's go! In the final cut it was changed to, Will: I'm not leaving without Jack. Shot shows Jack running away from the islanders. Will cont'd: Time to go.  The humor wasn't as clever as the first film. Most of the things that made the audience laugh was elementary school level comedy. Example: Jack falling down the stairs as he's holding his jar of dirt.  In the scene with the Black Pearl at the beginning of the film, we see that there is that ominous fog surrounding the ship as it did in the first film. This led me to believe that the ship still produced the shroud of fog as in the first film. When the Flying Dutchman attacks the Black Pearl, there is no fog!  If the movie were to be rated by physics, it would fail across the board. Jack free falling from the top of a mountain lands on the ground in one piece. Any normal person would have been dead and if not, they would have a dislocated hip, a few broken ribs, and a lot of splinters. The fight on the wheel is almost 100% impossible. Physics Hollywood! Physics!!!
Final Issue: Hollywood
Why does Hollywood always have to improve on a good deal? There were very few loose ends that could spawn a sequel yet they did and with it they created a marketing monster. With the third films' shooting starting in August, rumors are already surfacing about a possible FOURTH Pirates of the Caribbean film. However, I have yet to confirm this information, but I have been told that Johnny Depp is retiring his role of Captain Jack Sparrow after the completion of the third film. If he doesn't a fourth is bound to be made.
Overall Dead Man's Chest was a great action flick with stunning visual and special effects that show just how far movie making has come over the past century. Take the kids, take your girlfriend, take a random stranger to it, its worth every penny. Oh, don't be surprised if by the second time you've seen the movie you've already started to quote Captain Jack Sparrow. It's okay to do that, savvy?