Title: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Stellan Skarsgard, Geoffrey Rush
Directed By: Gore Verbinski, George Marshall Ruge
Produced By: Bruce Hendricks, Mike Stenson, Chad Oman
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adaptation and Sequel
Release Date: May 24th/25th, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of action/adventure violence and some frightening images.
Distributors: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End is the final installment of the trilogy based on Disney's Pirates Of The Caribbean ride. I believe the novelty of the first film has definitely worn off and we are left with a convoluted three hour epic tale that is not what I have come to know and love in the Pirates movies. Sparrow is dead and the rest of the cast are in Singapore to get a ship, crew and a map to Davy Jones' Locker to rescue Jack. Then our favorite pirates head to Shipwreck Cove where the big gathering of all of the Pirate Lords is taking place. They discuss if they should fight the East India Trade Company or if they should flee. They decide to fight so they can flee. Which leads to an intense showdown between Sparrow, Barbossa and the crew of the Black Pearl and Beckett and Jones in the maelstrom that we have seen in the trailer. That, my friends, is an overly simplistic look at what is going on in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

Don't get me wrong, I liked it, just not as much as Curse of the Black Pearl or Dead Man's Chest. The first scene of multiple hangings, including women and a child should let you know that this will be a darker Pirates. Even after that, I still expected the fun that made the first two films a success. That, sadly, is lacking. As my wife put it, “It seems that Jack has gotten more sober with each film.” I agree but think the whole franchise has gone that route. Where is the fun of Jack docking on a sinking ship? Or the slaps which he may or may not have deserved? Sparrow is seriously looking out for his own skin and the comedy is relegated to Pintel and Ragetti, the most pointless crew members of any ship if you ask me.

Drawbacks – I feel that the sequence of Jack captaining a crew of himself while in Davy Jones' Locker to be a little superfluous. Do we really need to see him interacting with made up versions of himself? And not only does it happen in Davy Jones' Locker, but after they get out as well. It just seems like they were trying too hard to make up for the lack of humor elsewhere and it didn't work for me. Convoluted character arcs, betrayals and alliances galore: don't even get me started on those! I feel I need a second viewing just to straighten out all the characters motivations!

What can be said about the cast that hasn't been said already? My favorites have always been Barbossa and Davy Jones. Barbossa adds a lunacy to the goings on that just makes me smile every time he is onscreen. This time around Jones is forced to be a heavy for Cutler Beckett and the East India Trade Co. He is none too happy about that, and it shows! We also learn who his true love is. You will be surprised, I promise. The only new addition to the cast is Chow Yun Fat with a rather short role in which he doesn't get to hit anybody. And to me, that is under utilizing him. The cameo that everyone has been waiting for is just that, a cameo. Keith Richards is in two scenes and only says one line. Again, an underutilization if I ever saw one although he did look terrific. He should have been elected King of the Pirates long ago. With the gravity and presence he brings to the show, there never should have been any question who the King of Pirates should be.

Cinematography and effects? Superb. This is what kept me in my seat. Jones' crew looks awesome, with a new addition of an eel like crew member that reminded me of the guy in X3 who could regrow his arms. Also, there is a superb Matrix-like slow motion destruction scene of Beckett's ship, ILM has superseded anything that has been created thus far in any movie out there.

Consider this review a first impression as I found I had to pay more attention to the movie than to note taking. I will say this, the film is entertaining, but may require more than one viewing in order to follow all of the story lines involved. Not as funny, but more intriguing and a tad overlong, Pirates 3 is almost a great movie.

Until Jack finds the Fountain of Youth,
keep reading.

Mitch E.