Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End

Review by Sean Lynch
Click Here for More Info and Pictures from Pirates 3

Hoist the starboard, shiver me timbers, man the decks...and all that jazz. Captain Jack is back in the third (and quite possibly last) instalment in the phenomenal Pirates of the Caribbean franchise - but sadly, it may not be the smooth sailing ride many are hoping for.

When The Curse of the Black Pearl was met with exceptional critical and box office success in 2003, two sequels were immediately green lit (to be filmed back-to-back) leading to one of the highest grossing sequels - and films - of all time in Dead Man's Chest. 

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 was 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 in the cinema 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.

3.5 out of 5

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Australian release: 24th May, 2007
Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Stellan Skarsgard, Naomie Harris
Director: Gore Verbinski
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