Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

The second time out for Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow, the bloated Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, has some fatal flaws. The biggest problem would be the presence of Orlando Bloom, an actor capable of bringing movies to a complete halt (and not for a good reason) when he appears on screen. The other problem is that the film’s nearly 2 1/2-hour running time isn’t justified. There might be enough here for a decent hour and a half, but its present cut is outrageous. Director Gore Verbinski has made a good-looking movie, a dark sequel that often feels like a bona fide horror film. While Depp remains major fun as Sparrow, Bloom is equally boring as Will Turner. He is one of the worst actors out there right now (his work in Elizabethtown and Kingdom of Heaven serve as proof). Nothing feels natural with Bloom, so when he’s sharing the screen with a freewheeling performer like Depp, he looks totally amateur.