Hit...but near miss

Rating: 5/10 (7 July 2006)

While this film is a must see for all Pirates fans it was not all i had imaged as the sequel to the much loved original. Being two and a half hours in length, there is quite a lot of action and character/story development, yet the pace of the movie created anticipation and a feeling that this film is merely a go between to the third and final film in the trilogy. The reprisals of Captain Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth Swan and Will Turner were true to the previous film with outstanding performances by Depp, Knightley and Bloom as well as the fabulous supporting cast including the brilliant Bill Nighy. However Nighy brought a darker and more intense mood to the film with his villain - Davy Jones. This was hard to counter act but Johnny did not disappoint with witty one liners and neither did the cast with ensemble slapstick. There were many references to the original film but i feel that some of the spirit or "scally wag" elements linked to the first film were lost to the epic sea battles and evil plots.
Overall the film was very enjoyable and the visual effects and CGI were amazing. If you loved the original this will not disappoint and is a pleasurable experience and if you haven't seen the original i suggest you check it out before viewing the second. Enjoy the movie!