In this sequel, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley) are about to be married, when head of the East India Trading Company, Lord Beckett (played menacingly by Tom Hollander), comes for their arrest due to their involvement in aiding Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). But really, Beckett is only using them to get to Jack by offering them immunity if they help to find him, since both Beckett and Jack are looking for a treasure chest belonging to the legendary Davy Jones (wonderfully portrayed by the unrecognizable Bill Nighy), a hideous looking humanoid sea creature with tentacles for a beard who rules over the sea. He who possesses this chest becomes ruler over Jones and ultimately the sea. What we also find out is that the reason Captain Jack Sparrow is looking for the chest is because he has a blood debt to pay to Davy Jones. If he finds the chest, he is freed of the debt.

     What ensues is Jack running for his life in various (and humorous) ways, including from passionate cannibals on a primitive island who want to eat him. The plot partners up Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan with Sparrow in the hunt for the dead man’s chest, leading them to fighting for their lives by means of war (specifically, extreme cannon fire between Jones' "Flying Dutchman" ship and Sparrow's "Black Pearl"). But priorities start to differ amongst our three heroes, thus conflict ensues between what used to be the best of friends.

     While the first film had cool special effects, this movie is a special effects extravaganza. We have Davy Jones and his shipmates, all former humans who fell to the bottom of Jones’ ocean who made a deal with Jones to stay alive, but sacrificing their humanity in the process. Jones has an octopus face, and his shipmates consist of someone with a hammerhead shark head, another whose head is inside a giant sea shell, etc., and they all look like they wear seaweed, shells and barnacles for clothing. Included in his crew is Turner’s father, “Bootstrap Bill” who also is among the undead sea creatures (but somehow looks a little more human than some of the other ones). Jones also commands what is known as the “Kraken” - a vicious, gigantic sea creature with extremely rancid breath and humongous tentacles that can wipe out the Black Pearl in a single blow. All of these creatures are animated with such realism that we forget we are watching special effects. Gollum would fit right in. Bravo to the effects team on this one.

     What works nicely about this film, besides Johnny Depp, is that it feels like it belongs with the first film. It does not always work this well when one successful movie is made, and then two sequels are filmed back to back. Take the Matrix trilogy, for example. The sequels feel very disconnected from the first film. Dead Man’s Chest feels as if it was shot simultaneously with its predecessor as well as with the upcoming third film. Many characters from the first movie come back for a second romp this time around, and many plot points that were either briefly mentioned or conveyed as mere minor concerns end up becoming more prominent here. It is almost a sure certainty that the final film will achieve the same quality as the first two have.

     Although there are some occurrences in this film that defy the laws of physics (such as people falling from great heights and surviving with hardly any harm done to themselves), and some characters that speak with such thick accents that it makes the plot hard to follow, this film is enjoyable from start to finish. Depp is just as great as he was in the first film, as well as the rest of the cast. Be forewarned, however, as this movie ends with a cliffhanger, much like The Empire Strikes Back did, with virtually no conclusion. But ye mates, never fear! Soon thee third one be here! Arrgggh!