Opened: July 7, 2006

Directed by: Gore Verbinski

Starring: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Bill Nighy, Jack Davenport, Tom Hollander, Stellan Skarsgård, Kevin McNally, Jonathan Pryce, Mackenzie Crook, Lee Arenberg, Naomie Harris, David Bailie, Martin Klebba, David Schofield, Alex Norton, John Boswall, Derrick O’Connor, San Shella, Lauren Maher & Geoffrey Rush

Middle films of trilogies typically end up amazing or forgettable, but thankfully Dead Man’s Chest falls more towards the former.

After being arrested with his fiancé Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) strikes a deal with Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) to find Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). However, Jack is being hunted by the notorious Davy Jones (Bill Nighy).

The film brings back all the best Pirates characters from the first installment while still creating space for new villains. An incredible Nighy brings Davy Jones to life in the same style as Geoffrey Rush did with Barbossa.

However, the downsides are that the film has an incomplete ending and CGI characters on Davy Jones’ ship that don’t look as realistic as the crew of the Black Pearl.

Final say: Exciting, but can’t stand on its own. ★★★★☆