Buzz for "Pirates" sequel gets plundered with mixed reviews

Expected to light up the summer box office and possibly become the biggest movie of the year, "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" met some unfavorable reviews in early screenings Wednesday.

A review in the Los Angeles Times was headlined "Too much of what was a good thing," although later describing the film as "intermittently fun and high-spirited."

Similarly varied in its review was the Hollywood Reporter, which commended the "envelope-pushing" special effects but slammed the film's storyline.

Entertainment Weekly had fewer positive things to say about the film. The review branded it with a D+ grade and called it a theme ride, "if by ride you mean a hellish contraption into which a ticket holder is strapped, over stimulated but unsatisfied, and unable to disengage until the operator releases the restraining harness."

However, Fandango.com's Richard Horgan remains convinced the film would perform strongly in theaters, saying one of every three advance tickets sold this week was for the "Pirates" sequel.

"Personally, I think it's going to be a monster (at box offices)," Horgan says.

"It has not been an exciting summer," says Brandon Gray, president of Boxofficemojo.com. "There is no major blockbuster everyone can get behind. The hope is that 'Pirates' is that blockbuster."

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" sails into theaters Friday.