Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest review

Let me start by saying that I loved the first movie and have been looking forward to this one ever since. I went to the 12:01am screening and I have to say I'm a little disappointed.
Although the actors are all back at the top of their game; I felt that a lot of the charm of the characters was lost. I love the character of Captain Jack Sparrow, but in this film they did not make use of his spirit, but seemed to rely on rehashing of earlier jokes and more "twitchy" craziness without carrying over his confidence and cleverness. Jack apparently has developed a need for some sort of redemption, which I don't understand, because one great thing about Jack was that he was who he was and made no excuses for it.
Elizabeth's character development started off well but ended up consisting of nagging, and whining. Also, apparently she's now indecisive and dishonest.
As for Will, his character seems the most in keeping with the first film, and is a good solid part of the film, but they don't really give him growth or development.
The only character I can really say I thought was brought forward properly was Norrington. He was played wonderfully as a man who has truly lost it all and wants it back.

As for the story, in my opinion, it lacked the originality and style I expected and it was carried out in a fairly confusing way. While I did get caught up in the high seas adventure, I quickly got lost in the mess of frenzy that filled this movie. There were so many "villians" and dangers, they lost the main story in the sea of sub-plots. I feel they should not have tried to create a love triangle again for this film. When the movie begins Elizabeth & Will are preparing to marry, however, as the movie progresses she seems to shift her affections over to Jack. This transition seemed forced and without solid reasoning. On the brighter side, I really enjoyed the surprise guest at the end of the film, I thought that the scenes involving Will & his father were heartfelt and powerful. I think that Pirates 3 has a lot of potential and may resolve a lot of these concerns.

So, in summary, it's the middle movie in a trilogy for all the good and the bad that brings. In some ways, they tried too hard, others not enough. It has some great fight/battle scenes and humorous moments. I truly believe that it was weak in many ways but I can't say I regret going. Because, let's face it, in the end it's all just a great ride and you want to go along.

P.S. Stay all the way through the credits!!! Trust me!