After seeing all three of the "Pirates Of The Caribbean" films, I still think this second one was easily the best of the three. Most friends disagree with me on this, but.....hey, we all look at films differently.

This was the best "Pirates" to me because it had some fascinating new characters; it did not have the sappy or annoying characters and romance of the first film; it had just the right mix of action and lulls and it had some super special-effects and humor. Much of that good stuff, unfortunately, was overdone in the third film.which also dragged on too long. This movie isn't short, but none of the action scenes go on too long and so the entire two-and-a-half hours is entertaining.

Also (and this goes for all three of the movie) it looks absolutely super on Blu-Ray. It's the reason POTC is often shown in electronic stores promoting high-definition televisions because this film is about as good-looking as it gets. It's incredibly sharp.

The newest main character is the multi-tentacled "Davy Jones," and he's a real hoot. Who knows how many hours each day poor Bill Nighy had to sit in the makeup room before "Davy" was ready for action. (Actually, the same good be said for Johnny Depp's "Capt. Jack Farrow, who wears almost has much makeup as the late Tammy Fae Bakker.) Anyway, between the battles of both land and sea, something interesting always is going on or being said in this movie, making it a fun ride all the way.

This film is a little too long, and doesn't quite have the charm of the predecessor. But it is solid entertainment, with a good plot, and consistently good acting, as well as the whole production looking stunning. Johnny Depp is as lovable as always as Jack, and Kiera Knightly is as lovely as ever. Orlando Bloom, while less charismatic than he was in the first movie, is still charming. Jonathan Pryce and Jack Davenport also delight, as does Stellan Skargaard as Bootstrap Bill. But an unrecognisable Bill Nighy almost steals the show as the rather creepy Davy Jones. The special effects and the stunts were very impressive especially with the very scary krakon, so was the outstanding music score and although the script lacks the sparkle of the predecessor, this is a resoundingly entertaining film nonetheless. Oh, and be prepared for a surprise at the end. 8/10 Bethany Cox.

This is everything I hate about Hollywood blockbusters: pretentious, overly staged, clichéd, predictable, full of lame humour and, the worst sin of all, entirely overlong. Truly, this film doesn't know when to quit, and at two and a half hours the joke quickly wears thin. When you're making a lightweight action flick, the last thing you want to do is be repetitive: the lean pacing of a film like RAMBO showed how to do it just right. This almost plot less amalgamation of natives, pirates, ships, swordplay, sea monsters, and zombie pirates is wearying beyond belief, a self-indulgent show piece conceived entirely as a money spinner and nothing else.

Everyone raves over Johnny Depp in these films, but I'm afraid to say I can't stand the sight of Captain Jack. I suppose I'm the only one who thinks this drugged up, spaced out loser is entirely inappropriate in a kid's film – a Disney film to boot. The rest of the cast fare no better, with Orlando Bloom a charisma-free zone and Keira Knightley entirely bland. The huge supporting cast are entirely wasted, with nothing roles for the returning Jack Davenport, Tom Hollander, Mackenzie Crook, and Jonathan Pryce. Stellan Skarsgard pops up as a barnacle-encrusted pirate but he doesn't make much of an impression, either.

So why on earth did I watch this? For one reason alone: the special effects. I'd heard that the CGI in this really was special, so I was eager to see what multi-millions of dollars in computer effects could achieve. I wasn't disappointed. The entire movie is chock full of effects work, but they're most notable when it comes to the monsters. A giant kraken looks the part and is a definitely highlight, and the mud-men-zombies are also highly effective. Best of all, though, is Bill Nighy's character of Davy Jones, a guy who looks like a human Cthulhu. The squid effects used to animate Nighy are exceptional and among the best I've seen on film. Okay, so the script is daft, the spectacle excessive, repetitive and frequently against the laws of physics, but in terms of sheer CGI genius, this will take some beating.