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There is a general rule in Hollywood that sequels to any film will make 20 to 30 percent less than the original. Yet Dead Man's Chest
took in almost double than its predecessor (in the vicinity of more
than 1 billion dollars worldwide). So while the long awaited third film At World's End is guaranteed to rake in the dabloons, the question remains - is it worthy of doing so? Many were left unsatisfied by the cliffhanger nature of Chest,
but for mine, the adventures of Davy Jones (for pure
action/adventure/popcorn fun) far surpassed the original. So to say my
expectations for this final instalment were high is a gross
understatement. The trailer alone is phenomenal - an all star
cast, every character on screen at once, Singapore Pirates....a
whirlpool battle!!! How could it fail? What worked in favour of
the first two flicks was that the stories were simple, with a few
slight twists and turns - and a buttload of action. But from the
opening moments of World's End,
director Gore Verbinski seems to have given himself (or been given, by
writers Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio) an uphill battle, with a swag of
loose ends and a dingy full of plot lines (which all need to be woven
together some how) and very little room for what punters actually want
to
see - Captain Jack flinging from ship to ship in a drunken stupor while
making things explode. The film begins at a dark time, where the
age of the pirate is all but finished. Anyone even suspected of Piracy
faces the hangman - even young children barely tall enough to reach the
noose. Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Company has gained control
of the terrifying ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman (and it's captain,
the ever octopussy Davy Jones), using it to roam the seas destroying
pirate ships without mercy or warning. A pirate-cide. Meanwhile,
Will Turner (the increasingly unlikeable Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth
Swann (Keira Knightley) and Captain Barbossa (Aussie actor Geoffrey
Rush) embark on a desperate quest to gather the Nine Lords of the
Brethren Court (basically the knights of the round table for Pirates)
in a last ditch attempt to defeat Beckett. But there is of
course one slight problem - there is one Lord missing - Captain Jack
Sparrow (who is eternally trapped in the limbo of Davy Jones' Locker
thanks to his encounter with the gigantic squid, the Kraken, at the end
of Chest). Add to this
an alliance with Chinese Pirate Captain Sao Feng (an surprisingly hammy
Chow Yun-Fat), an extremely confusing side plot involving the
capricious sea goddess (and former flame of Davy Jones) Calypso,
betrayal upon betrayal (it seems to be the Pirate way), something to do
with Will Turners dad and a whole bunch of unwritten rules of the sea
which seem to be thrown in when it seems convenient to get out of a
plot hole. To be honest, there is a little too much going on. Spider-Man 3
successfully managed to juggle numerous (and unrelated) storylines and
characters - and still succeeded in providing some fantastic action
sequences. But unfortunately, for the majority of Pirates 3 (all 2 hours and 50 minutes of it) it's a lot of talk and no swashbuckling. Verbinski
is stuck with so much storyline to get through, punters are made to
wade through almost 2 hours of chatter and "Sea Shanty Mythology"
before a half-decent explosion. The first two instalments worked
perfectly, with 30 odd minutes of plot - followed by 30 minutes of
action, then another block of plot, then more action. This time around,
the action seems to have been packed up the rear. And
despite how good the final battle is (and it is one of the coolest sea
battles ever put on the big screen, easily one of the best directed
action sequences I've come across - Verbinski should be proud) by the
time you finally get there, you're so damn confused as to what is going
on ("Why the hell is she becoming a giant again?") that it all seems to
rush by you without much fanfare. Unlike it's predecessors, At World's End isn't a constant thrill ride which keeps packing the surprises and action packed punches. Now,
at this point, I must admit that I've been a tad harsh. Compared to 95%
of any other films that have been released in the past three years, At World's End is an unstoppable and highly enjoyable swash buckling adventure. The
CGI is flawless, the Hans Zimmer penned score is sweeping and epic
(although I'm still in awe as to why no-one has mentioned that it's an
exact replica of his Oscar winning score for Gladiator) and it's extremely funny - Jack: "Pirates are so unimaginative with names these days. I once knew a fella with no arms, no legs and one eye" Gibbs: "What did you call him?" Jack: "...Larry" The
cinematography, too, is utterly stunning and it's a genuinely
exciting and enjoyable cinema going experience - largely due to
Verbinski's attention to details and commitment to using as many real
life props and sets as possible. Remember how good and magical The Goonies was, because the entire set actually existed and wasn't simply filmed in front of a blue screen? This is 50 times better! The
performances are great, as per usual. Rush, Nighy and Depp are again
stand-outs (a scene which involves 20 odd replicas of Depp will have
females in the theatres swooning), along with Keira Knightley - who
looks simply amazing (don't tell my girlfriend, but I'm packing my bag
as I speak in hopes Ms. Knightley will accept my marriage
proposal). There's
even the much-talked-about and
anti-climatic appearance by Keith Richards (who Depp's
characterisations are famously modeled on). And a tip for those
who want a bit of closure on the whole experience - be sure to stay
glued to your seat (or at least fast forward) until the very end of the
credits... At the end of the day, when (unfairly) stacked up against Black Pearl and Chest, At World's End struggles to keep up the pace despite being one of the best action flicks of 2007. One of the great ARRRRRR-dventure trilogies of our time. EXTRAS
As always, this is yet another superb Pirates package, with numerous extras (all of which are actually watchable).
Far
to often are DVD's filled with fluffy featurrettes - but for some
reason - someone with brains has opted to put some thought into the
subject matters included here, which makes for great viewing.
There
are bloopers, deleted scenes and commentaries - but more importantly -
there is heaps of info on the behind the scenes magic of this
phenominally visual film. There's a backstage look at Depp meeting up
with Keith Richards, a very cool 'Making of a Scene' feature which is a
must watch for film students and plenty of info on Pirate Mythology.
A must have, especially in the era of Plasma screens and surround sound! Conclusion:
Movie 75% Extras: 68%
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