In one of BDH's, and many other people's, most eagerly awaited films of the year, Captain Jack Sparrow is back on the high seas for a two and a half hour romp amongst the worst living dead the sea has to offer, Davy Jones and the crew of the Flying Dutchman.
All of the main stars return for the sequel and with a third film all ready to go next summer, we're not going to see the last of the crew of the Black Pearl for a while.
For fans of the first film, "Dead Man's Chest" offers the same high action, high humour mix that made "The Curse of the Black Pearl" the sleeper phenomenon it became, but as in many sequels it doesn't quite match the dizzy heights of it's predecessor, with the plot seemingly padded out with the odd nonsensical and irrelevant scene here and there and the magical final touch just seems to be missing from the overall finished product.
Johnny Depp's recreation of one of his finest characters carries the film along however in the moments when the plot does fall flat and you just don't know what Jack is going to do from one scene to another. The banter between all of the characters is first class, with some genuinely funny laugh out loud moments along the way and the cannibal scenes are a particular joy.
Bill Nighy's performance as Davy Jones is exquisitely OTT and it's amazing how much the character looks like him through all his squid-based make up! Orlando Bloom comes across a bit wooden at times, but thankfully there's usually some light relief around the corner, with Mackenzie Crook on top form in that department.
The film and the action doesn't drag most of the time though and even when it does the majestic settings and costume design are there to fill your time. The crew of the Flying Dutchman are particularly fantastic and dare we mention Oscarworthy.
The action continues thick and fast from start to finish and although you'll be not wanting to wait another year for the next instalment, the whole film does captivate the viewer and was never going to outdo it's predecessor. It makes a fine attempt though and there's a lot worse ways to spend your viewing pleasure in the cinema at the moment.
BDH RATING: 3.5 / 5
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