Just when you thought the curses were lifted and they all lived happily ever after, betrothed lovers Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) are arrested by the weasley Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) of the East India Trading Company on their wedding day for helping the pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) escape the hangman at the end of the previous film, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL. In exchange for their freedom, Will must find Sparrow and bring Beckett back the unique compass the pirate possesses, which always points to the holder’s most desired object.

What starts out as a search turns into a rescue mission after Will finds Sparrow on a cannabilistic island about to be roasted alive by the natives who believe he’s a god in human form whose spirit will be set free by the fire. What would seem like the most harrowing sequence of the film turns into the most amusing as Sparrow must find a way off the spit. Also, the captain’s faithful crew of The Black Pearl — who are imprisoned in circular cages made of bone which are dangling high up between two mountains — must race up the side of a cliff to reach their ship first before the mutinous hired hands do.

While the entire island sequence is probably the best part of the movie, especially since it’s filled with action and fun without a minute of CGI, it really serves no purpose in plot advancement. Because the plot of the film actually centers around Sparrow’s blood debt to Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), the captain of the Flying Dutchman who rules the deep seas. Jones, whose deep-sea habitat has turned him and his crew into human/sea creature hybrids, unleashes the Kraken — an overly used gigantic CGI sea creature capable of dragging a ship to the depths of the ocean within seconds — upon unknowing seafarers in his relentless pursuit of Sparrow. Coincidentally, a consequential member of Jones’s doomed crew is the elder Will Turner (Stellan Skarsgard), previously referred to as “Bootstrap Bill,” who tries to redeem himself to the son he abandoned so long ago.

DEAD MAN’S CHEST is really just a 2 1/2-hour set-up for the third film installment, because while it turns out that the chest’s contents are the true object of everyone’s desire, so far we don’t know why the contents are so special, only that it can be used by all the characters as a bargaining chip. Why Sparrow thought initially that he could escape repayment of this extremely serious debt to Davy Jones is a mystery. And why, oh, why the Kraken had to have more screen time than Bloom and Knightley is completely incomprehensible.

Don’t get me wrong, CHEST is a fun movie. It’s got everything you want in a blockbuster: adventure, excitement, swordplay, treachery, intrigue, supernatural monsters — and PIRATES! The scene where everyone keeps stealing from each other what they believe to be the contents of the chest is hilarious and includes is 3-way sword fight takes place in and on top of a huge runaway wheel. And even though the film takes place in the 1700s, the creators managed to fit in the signature element of every Jerry Bruckheimer-produced film: explosions!

Aside from a little CGI overload and the non-advancement of plot (which, like I said, I’ll accept since it’s some of the best scenes in the flim), my one main issue with this sequel is how Captain Jack Sparrow was handled. In the first movie, Jack is the ultimate pirate king. He’s opportunistic, thieving, narcissistic — exactly what you’d expect from an infamous pirate. But we also find out he’s got heart, which is what I think was left out of CHEST. Somehow his scoundrelous charm has been eclipsed by, dare I say, villainy. It doesn’t seem believable that his character would digress like this. Even when Sparrow tries at one point to do something noble, it doesn’t logically follow this time. Perhaps this too is merely more preamble for part three. I certainly hope so.

With all of this prelude, which also includes some clever reveals and the guidance of a soothsayer (Naomie Harris), the next movie — which was shot back-to-back with part two — is definitely a must-see. But for now, allow CHEST to fullfill all of your swashbuckling needs.