Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

Johnny Depp returns to his Oscar nominated role of Captain Jack Sparrow, the most amusing buccaneer to have ever sailed the high seas. To be honest, director Gore Verbinski and writers Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio have changed very little of the formula that made their first outing such a success, but who cares? It worked then, and it works now. Granted, there are a few flaws: the film is soaked with so many effects shots that it seems like these kids were given a little too much of a budget with which to play; Bill Nighy’s Davy Jones, while visually engaging, lacks the humor and charisma of Geoffrey Rush’s Captain Barbossa; and like the first Pirates, this one runs about half an hour too long. But in the end, all it really means is that it may be too much of a good thing, so why complain?

Directed by Gore Verbinski.
Written by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio.
Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Stellan Skarsgard, Jack Davenport and Bill Nighy.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of adventure violence, including frightening images. 150 min.

***½ so says The Fish