I’m amazed at the complete split of opinion on this second Pirates film. Those who were marginally impressed with the first love the second. Those that loved the first are confused with the second. Where the first was spry, the second is heavy. No, the second develops everything the first didn’t.

Back and forth like a rollicking ship on a choppy sea . . . either “The Black Pearl can’t be found in the Dead Man’s Chest,” or “The Dead Man’s Chest makes the Black Pearl valuable.” Ha!

Well, this is what I have to say: I love this trilogy in the making. Jack Sparrow is the 21st century’s Han Solo. And yes, Dead Man’s Chest (2006) is this trilogy’s The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Darker, richer and more tragic than its predecessor, it’s a thrilling build up for a grand finale I wish were coming now instead of next summer.

Some answers are provided in this second helping of Jack Sparrow’s tale (what’s so special about Jack’s compass, how Jack became captain of the Pearl in the first place), and some are not. I could tell you the cliffhangers, but too many plot points would be revealed. After all, this is a Pirates movie—sometimes you think you’ve discovered something, only to have it snatched away.

I will, however, reveal that this is no longer Will and Elizabeth’s story, with Jack merely along for the ride. This is a full-blown Pirate film, which means Jack is now center stage. The writers have expertly crafted his story so that it springs off the plank of the first movie into the second, continuing to slyly develop this character’s amazing mythology. Following Sparrow’s lead, Dead Man’s Chest swashbuckles the audience into new treasures and excitements in a growing tale of mythic proportions. (The Inside Scoop: the writers did have a trilogy in mind when writing the first, so its wonderful to watch how they have built so many intersecting stories into this new film.)

Along with Jack (Johnny Depp), Will (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) are back. The actors have made these characters so endearing, we are now on a first name basis. Though Depp will continue to receive accolades for his Oscar-nominated turn as Captain Sparrow, Bloom and Knightley are just as good as stock characters, and in this film are given new desires and motivations to round out what was flat in the first film.

Other endearing characters are back too, some expected and some not; I’ll leave you to see the film to be tickled and surprised (I loved Commodore Norrington’s change of fate). New faces include Davey Jones (Bill Nighy, his menacing performance completely in-line with the absolutely stunning CGI work), voodoo priestess Tia Dalma (a flirty and creepy Naomie Harris), and the Kraken, a horrifying squid that trumps anything Jules Verne had in mind in 20,000 Leagues.

Plot details get mystical and Faustian in this one: Jack owes a debt of eternal servitude to the sea’s grim reaper, Davy Jones, which sets off a domino effect of turmoil involving an interrupted wedding; a magical key; escapades through pirate coves, cannibal islands, and treacherous waters; reuniting with old acquaintances (living and dead); new treasures and loves; dazzling swordfights; and ship battles galore. As my wife says, “It has everything: action, romance, comedy, suspense, horror, adventure and thrills!”

Interestingly enough, though these movies in some ways glorify pirates, they both illustrate how the profession’s greed curses them to either a life void of feeling or service to a sea-faring devil. That is, the movies show piracy as a fun alternative, but one that always has consequences. In fact, the pirates that survive usually have a noble act up their sleeve. Though Norrington tells us in the first film that one noble deed can’t erase a lifetime of wrongs, the films seem to suggest otherwise. The question is, will our characters learn from their mistakes or repeat them till doomsday?

Ok, enough with the serious jibe. If everything mentioned above sounds good to you, go and have a great time. See it twice. There's so much going on in this film, you're bound to miss one or two clues pointing to next year's rousing conclusion. Dead Man's Chest fits perfectly into the mold of Saturday serial films like The Princess Bride (1987), the Indiana Jones trilogy, and The Goonies (1985). The fiendish evils in Dead Man's Chest are matched by its manic energy, so one minute you could be queasy, and the next be rollicking with laughter. It’s dangerous (fulfilling its PG-13 rating again with ghoulish pranks and bloodless battles—little ones be warned) and exciting, and has already stolen the title of summer’s best film from this year’s less-worthy contenders.