16 M O A D A C

Would anyone expect that a movie based on a theme park attraction would have one of the highest opening weekends in history if not the highest opening weekend in history?  Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest did just that.  Seeing as the first film was a pleasant surprise to hit theaters (lots of fun if not a lot of substance), it followed that the sequel would promise just as much fun.  Really, I wasn't too high on seeing the movie at first, but after hearing a couple good reviews and seeing the trailers, I was intrigued.  What was the end result?  Big, exploding, Summer fun.

Big really does a great deal to describe the film.  While it did take a while to get its wheels up and off the ground, the action was relentless.  The set pieces including a rolling chase sequence in a spherical cage made of bones and incredible oceanic sequences while morbid at some points brought forth an originality I think is somewhat missing from what people consider to be the modern pirate film.  Cutthroat Island?  Not a chance.

The glue to this picture is twofold.  What has been said already by Johnny Depp's performance in the first one holds water the second time around.  Keith Richards can't even play Keith Richards this well.  You tend to wonder what goes in Depp's head to wrap himself in this character so well, but since he pulls it off so well, there's nothing to do but sit back and enjoy.  The second half of this exhausting chemical equation is the amazing effects on screen, most apparent in the person of Davy Jones and his elaborate ship and crew.  When Bill Nighy opens his mouth through his peculiarly tentacled beard and when the Flying Dutchman reveals itself, the film never stops.  For this movie alone, you should expect to hear the name Crash McCreery for years to come.

At two and a half hours, the film doesn't seem quite as long as Superman Returns , solely for the fact that there is so much action.  Perhaps there are some problems that present themselves.  I, for one, can't imagine how anyone could possibly tie up all the plot threads left dangling at film's end for At World's End.  Also, there are moments where Orlando Bloom's Will Turner seems inconsequential.  A lot of this movie is about Jack Sparrow and Keira Knightley's Elizabeth, but whenever Orlando is on screen, something just fizzles.  That's probably just my own observation.

I would recommend seeing this movie while it's still hanging around in theaters, not the best I've seen so far this Summer season, but definitely one to remember.

Overall Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars