Awesome

Rating: 10/10 (7 July 2006)

Any film good enough to cause the audience at a normal theater to clap when it ends must be darn great, right? And that's what happened when I saw pirates.
Similar to all the other trilogies recently, Pirates 2 can't work on its own like 1 can, mostly because there are a series of cliffhangers at the end of 2 that set the stage for 3. But that's not to say it isn't an awesome film! Lots of laugh out loud moments. An intriguing plot, double crossing, and some good old-fashioned sword fights. Well, one said sword fight is a three-way duel, and takes place aboard a water-wheel rolling through the jungle with the three combatants balancing atop, and *inside* the moving wheel...okay, maybe 'old fashioned' wasn't the proper term...
New characters are introduced, including a big name from the infamous East India Company that branded Jack with the 'P' on his forearm, and it seems the company wants Davey Jones. Jones is not only one of the coolest CGI characters since the skeleton pirates in the first film, sporting a beard of tentacles and a frickin' awesome pipe-organ, but he commands the Flying Dutchman, as well as the Kraken, a gigantic aquatic beast that can pull entire ships to the depths of the sea. And if the EIC gets command of Jones and the Kraken, kiss Jack, and pirates everywhere, goodbye!
Jack himself owes Jones a debt: his soul, for it was Jones who raised the Black Pearl from the sea 13 years ago, and was promised Jack's soul once he had captained it for 13 years. Granted, he was mutinied and cast off the ship for 10 years. But in Jones' own words, that just means that Jack wasn't a very *good* captain. But Jack has a plan: Davey Jones, betrayed by his lover, cut out his heart and buried it inside the Dead Man's Chest. If Jack can find the key, and the chest, he has Jones' heart. It may not be in his body, but Jones still needs it to live, and thus there is jack's bargaining chip for his soul.
Overall, an incredible film. As with all sequels, some with say it isn't on par with the first, but I'm not one of them: it was better. And if you want a line to match the infamous 'but you *have* heard of me' line, here it is.
MAJOR SPOILER
Jack stands alone on board the Black Pearl, as the Kraken rises form the ocean to destroy the ship, roaring at Jack and spitting out his hat that it had swallowed earlier. Jack calmly picks up his hat, shakes off the mucus, slaps it on, draws his sword, and smiles.
"Hello beastie"
And with that, Jack leaps into the Kraken's jaws, sword raised, as the monster destroys the Black Pearl. Jack is gone.
Until, of course, Pirates III.