Very well written, characters not very likable though

Rating: 8/10 (10 June 2011)

This movie started out with a lot of pirate lore. You might need to watch a few pirate movies to understand what the characters are talking about.
There were some great fight scenes and escape scenes. Some of the best scenes ever.
But this movie was lacking feeling. We don't really care about many of the characters. One of the most sympathetic characters in the movie was a man-eating mermaid.
There was also a priest character who was somewhat likable. But even the priest lost faith at times. And he even became close friends with a man-eating mermaid. I guess the mermaid Syrena was one of the most interesting characters in the movie, even though she had just a minor part.
Jack Sparrow isn't a sympathetic character in this movie. Sure, he lost his ship. I felt sorry for him in the first film because Barbosa betrayed him and left him with nothing. But at this point Jack just seems irritable.
Gibbs is a likable character. He's still just a supporting character, but I liked how he stood up to Barbosa. Very brave.
I thought Penelope Cruz's acting was weak at times. Maybe she didn't have much chemistry with Johnny Depp? Penelope Cruz's character also was not likable.
Geoffrey Rush was interesting as Barbosa. He became a captain in the British Navy. It was funny to see him try to act like a gentleman, as he spat when he talked.
Blackbeard was an interesting villain, as he rationalized and taught his evil to the crew, but he didn't show much feeling either. Even when he's killed at the end he's just an empty shell.
It was nice to see Gilette again, a navy captain from the first movie. He's an interesting character.