Film critic Todd McCarthy had a great line about the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, calling the second film, Dead Man's Chest, "a slot machine that gobbles up the public's money while giving little back, and, somehow, people don't mind." I thought of that line constantly while watching The Lone Ranger, which reunites a lot of the Pirates personnel, including star Johnny Depp and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. I think people are going to mind this time, though. This movie is a real stinker, as I explain in my Screen International review.
(Update: If you are in need of more of me spouting off about this film, I talked about its faults with Will Leitch over at Deadspin.)
