Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End **1/2

Directed by Gore Verbinski
Written by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, based on characters created by Elliot, Rossio, Stuart Beattie and Jay Wolpert

Starring:
Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow
Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa
Orlando Bloom as Will Turner
Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann
Tom Hollander as Lord Cutler Beckett
Bill Nighy as Davy Jones
Chow Yun-Fat as Captain Sao Feng
Naomie Harris as Tia Dalma
Jack Davenport as Captain Norrington
Keith Richards as Captain Teague
Jonathan Pryce as Governor Weatherby Swann
Lee Arenberg as Pintel
Mackenzie Crook as Ragetti
Kevin McNally as Gibbs
Stellan Skarsgård as 'Bootstrap' Bill Turner

168 Minutes(Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action/adventure violence and some frightening images. )
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The "Pirates" films have been surprising and impressing me for the last few years. When I first saw the marketing and advertisements for the first one back in 2003, I was not prepared for the amount of fun that I had with it. I expected maybe an amusing little action summer film, but I was not ready for biting humor that was tacked on, as well as the delightfully amusing performance from Johnny Depp, which he was nominated for. And then there was the sequel which ended up being just as good, if not even slightly better, than the first, and also including an extreme surprise ending which made me want this summer to come along to see how the saga is completed. And I must saw that while I did enjoy this next, and reported, last film in the series, I was underwhelmed by about half of it, which while I tried to listen to make sense of what was happening, continued to loose my interest just a little bit.

Last time, Captain Jack Sparrow was swallowed whole by a creature named The Kraken, and sent to Davy Jones' locker where he is supposed to spend eternity. But his companions have their own desires and wish to get him back. First there is Will Turner, who wishes to free his father's soul from the squid-like Davy Jones, but needs Jack to do so. And then there is his beloved Elizabeth Swan, who ended up being the one killing Jack and feels guilty about it. And then there is their captain, the newly resurrected Captain Barbossa, who needs Jack to complete the circle of Pirate Lords because they need to have a big meeting. The British runned East India Trading Company is planning on getting rid of all the pirates in the world, and their leader, the evil Lord Cutler Beckett will stop at nothing. Beckett stole the heart of Davy Jones to have control of the seas and get that crew on his side, and now he has his eyes on the Asian pirates, led by Captain Sao Feng. As the pirate lords all begin to settle down for their meeting, Beckett and Jones follow suit, which Jones trying to get back his heart and control himself again, and Beckett slaughtering anybody related to a pirate in cold blood.

Alright, first the problems. The third film does not offer any real fun entertainment, and the entire film is extremely soaked with depressing violence and heavy action scenes. Gone are the loads of fun that you had with giant wheels, swordplay, and natives chasing Jack Sparrow. From the very first minute, when at least thirty people are hung including a little boy, you just realize that this film will not be as entertaining as the other. The screenplay becomes extremely complicated, and for the youngins' it would be very hard to follow. I had a little bit of difficulty even, and I'm much older than the target age range. The politics are too strong here-there are the politics of the British, and then the politics of the pirates. This just didn't have the same feel to it as the others, and came across as far too heavy to be enjoyed. The first action scene which takes place in Singapore is just too heavy and gritty and dark, which is the opposite of why I love the original films in the first place. They had a dark look, but the action that was on screen was fun and exciting. Here I grimaced and was surprised with how much they got away with. In the first twenty minutes alone you see a woman get a bullet right in the forehead, and a man who is freezing cold snapping off his big toe. Even the music score by Hans Zimmer has taken a strange turn, and gone is that recognizable "Pirates" theme music that you notice begins every credit sequence, and is replaced with something different.

The first two hours or so of this massive film (which should not have people complaining at the length considering it's a mere fifteen minutes longer than the last one), is somewhat talky and even a little dull, especially if you are new to the pirate world. To get some of the in-jokes it is imperative to have seen the first two films (especially a running joke involving sea turtles which is so subtle in the first film that, even though it made an appearance in the second and this one, nobody seems to really ever mention.) Also ,in order to even really understand the story you have either had to have seen the second, or at least had an extremely comprehensive summary of it. This film does not work on its own at all. The first two hours were somewhat enjoyable, but most of it I did not really like. I had serious problems with the scenes in Singapore, and the character played by Chow Yun-Fat who annoyed me and I found somewhat useless. I wish that the entire council with the Pirate Lords was cut out and replaced with something else even. There are some good scenes in the first two hours-my personal favorite being Jack Sparrow's time in Davy Jones' locker which includes him talking to a whole bunch of Jack's-but the real meat doesn't come until the last forty five minutes-the climatic action sequence of the series. And while it may not be as fun as some other action sequences from the first two, the special effects are mind blowing and even more impressive than those from this year's "Spider-Man 3." And the ending was perfect-not copping out for the standard Disney ending-major characters are killed, there is a somewhat dark tone for the ending even though it seems happy. It was an interesting approach. And certainly stay after the credits for the real happy ending to surface. While they did leave it open in some ways for a fourth film if they wanted, I really do think that this is the best way to end it. There is vengeance, but there is also punishment and I admire how they did not cop out and have everything alright in the end.

The acting has not taken a turn for the worse, though, and its probably gotten even better. I may not be Johnny Depp's biggest fan, but I will admit that he's made a fantastic character out of Jack Sparrow. Orlando Bloom has gotten better as Will, even though he is strangely absent from much of this one as had Keira Knightly who seems to have taken over as the dominant hero. And I was so happy to see Geoffrey Rush's Captain Barbossa return for ten seconds are the very end of "Pirates 2," that I was glad that excitement was not in vain, as Rush manages to steal several of the scenes he is in. Bill Nighy is just the dastardly villain as he was in the second film, and you even get to see his actual face that is not covered in the squid tentacles, and the secondary characters of Jack's crew is always worth a laugh.

I mostly admire the "Pirates" films for its incredibly cross of action and humor, and while this does have its comic moments it does not mesh well with the gritty action sequences that are here. The tone has taken a drastic shift that I just could not adjust to. I was satisfied with the ending, and while it is a difficult journey to get to the last hour, it does leave a strange hunger for another. I could hope to see another adventure with these characters as long as they shift back to the older formula. I wanted to have much more fun than I actually did with "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," even if it does wrap up the story extremely well. The entire trilogy (which clocks in at just about eight hours) is well worth a watch, even though it conclusion is a bit messy and underwhelming.