Cinema - Pirates of the Caribbean 2

Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow is a legend - he is a hilarious, absurd and very camp loveable rogue who stole the show in the first installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, and does so again here - with bells on. Depp’s performance is magical - from his natural comic timing and wry smile to the ridiculous heavy eyeliner and mouth bling. He makes the film and carries it through despite some bland performances and its unnecessary length - it is at least 40 minutes too long. In this tale Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightly) are arrested by Lord Cutler Beckett just as they are about to marry. But this is just a ruse to get them to find and steal Jack Sparrow’s magic compass which will help locate the key to the dead man’s chest - the possession of which gives ultimate and mystical power to the owner.

Meanwhile, Jack Sparrow has to find the chest too - not because he’s also on a power trip but because he has to save his soul from Davy Jones, played by Bill Nighy in a huge tentacle beard. One of the best scenes in the film is when Jack Sparrow is being chased by a tribe who want to eat him, and everything he does to escape them makes him look more edible - genius. This film is darker than the first and ends on a real cliffhanger - ready for Pirates of the Caribbean 3? KA