saw: dead man's chest
So long as the swashes buckle and Johnny Depp swishes, this Pirates sequel keeps its head well above water. Unfortunately a second act steeped in murky metaphysics and festooned with hideous, if impressively rendered, Cronenbergian villains strands our main characters along divergent arcs—to be reunited, and the film salvaged, only in the final rundown. That great sagging middle is a waterlogged slog. More Monkey Island whimsy next time, less benthic boogaloo. Grade: B-