Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

3 out of 4

Starring: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Bill Nighy, Stellan Skarsgard, Jack Davenport, Naomie Harris

Director: Gore Verbinski

Time: 150 mins

Viewed: Mega Movies at Brunswick Square, East Brunswick, New Jersey

Inevitable sequel to surprise 2003 box office hit Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, reuniting Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) and lovers Will Turner (Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Knightley). This time around, Will and Elizabeth are arrested for being accessories to Captain Jack, while Sparrow himself runs afoul of the dreaded Davy Jones and his crew of half sea-creature/half humans. Complicated story takes a while to get going, and Depp's antics aren't as fresh as in the original's, but rollicking action scenes (especially the interlude on an island inhabited by cannibals and the non-stop final half-hour) and superb make-up effects compensate for the lulls. Not as good as Curse of the Black Pearl, but a relatively entertaining romp.

(c) Joe Wong (9 July 2006)