I’m still not sure what surprised me the most about “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” That the entire cast of the first movie returned or that I was able to find a movie theater where I didn’t have to sit crowded elbow to elbow. I drove 90 miles to find one but, hey, it was worth it.

Johnny Depp reprises his role as one of the most eccentric pirates in movie history as Captain Jack Sparrow. A long time ago, Sparrow made a deal with the legendary pirate Davy Jones (Bill Nighy).

Thirteen years later it’s time for Captain Sparrow to pay his debt and join Jones’s crew on the Flying Dutchman or face death by his monsterous pet squid, the Kraken. Instead, Sparrow searches for the titular dead man’s chest which holds Jones’s only weakness, hoping to use it as a bargaining chip.

Meanwhile, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightly) are being held prisoner by the head of the East India Trading Company, Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander), for aiding Captain Sparrow in his previous escape.

Beckett is interested in the chest as well and sees it as a way to use Jones and the Kraken to control the seas and rid the world of pirates. Beckett sends Turner to find Sparrow, thinking Sparrow can aid him in his search of the chest and, in exchange, will grant Turner and Swan their freedom.

Turner soon discovers that his once-lost father, “Bootstrap” Bill Turner (Stellan Skarsgård) has become a crew member of the Flying Dutchman to save himself from a fate worse than death.

With Turner looking for the chest to save his father and fiance, Sparrow looking for the chest to save himself and Beckett looking for the chest for power the question becomes: will it necessarily fall into the right hands?

With very entertaining performances and impressive chemistry between the entire cast, not to mention a new host of quotable one-liners for me to repeat at my pleasure, the movie still lacks a consistent plot. With so many individual stories going on, the whole plot and the focus of the movie becomes lost. Without giving away too much, let’s just say it has “The Empire Strikes Back” syndrome.

A lot darker and more violent than the first, which is either an improvement or a disappointment for Disney depending on who you ask, it appeals a lot to a more mature and adult crowd. Which makes sense because it is, in fact, a movie about, well I don’t know, pirates.

An exciting display of special effects, thrilling stunts and choreography still doesn’t make up for a non-existent story arc. However, it’s not to say it isn’t an enjoyable movie experience, it just became apparent that if you want any closure for ‘Dead Man’s Chest’ you have to wait until next year.

Rating: Three out of four stars.

Matthew Beltran can be reached at [email protected]