Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action/adventure violence and some frightening images.
169 Minutes

Directed By: Gore Verbinski
Written By: Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio
Staring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Kiera Knightly, Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy, Jack Davenport, Jonathan Price, Stellan Skarsgard, Naomie Harris, MacKensie Crook, and Lee Arenberg

I have no sympathy for any of you feculent maggots and no more patience to pretend otherwise. Gentlemen, I wash my hand of this weirdness. -Captain Jack Sparrow

Review

In the third and final installation of the Pirates Of The Carribean series Elizabeth, Will, and Captain Barbossa are on a mission to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl from Davy Jones locker.  They must literally sail to the worlds end to find him and the important item he carries to save not only themselves, but the rest of the Pirate fleet.  While they have been on their search Lord Beckett, the new owner of Davy Jones heart, uses The Flying Dutchman to control the sea and to destroy all that is left of the Pirates.  In an effort to resist the nine Pirate Lords from across the world must meet at Shipwreck Cove to release the goddess Calypso, Davy Jones damned lover, to help them in their war against him and The East India Trading Company.  But things are never so cut and dry when dealing with double crossing immoral Pirates.

The first hour of this film is so busy sending twists and turns of betrayal’s and plot confusion it’s literally difficult to know where you stand.  Everyone is making deals with everyone that they clearly have no intention of keeping.  While the chaos is disorienting, the curiosity of how the situations play out is compelling.

The cast was phenomenal.  Stephen Rae as Captain Barbossa is one of the best character roles ever onscreen.  He is the very definition of a Pirate.  Orlando Bloom as Will Turner came into this film much more matured and strong than the first two, his character finally showing some growth.  Elizabeth Swan played by Keira Knightly actually has the most three dimensional character and holds the entire cast together like super glue.  Her role changed the most from beginning to end and is certainly the most interesting with exception of one.  Captain Jack Sparrow.  Johnny Depp is without a doubt one of the greatest character actors of the last many generations, but what he has done with Jack Sparrow goes above and beyond brilliance.  He is possibly one of the most interesting and engaging characters ever in a motion picture.  While all of our other hero’s are great, it’s Captain Jack Sparrow we’ve come to see.

While Jack is in Davy Jones locker we are given the unique ability to see inside Jacks mind.  It reminded me of Being John Malkovich, when Malkovich takes the portal into his own mind.  It was one of the most interesting aspects of this portion of the story, and the most humorous. However, it was a complete distraction.  As though there aren’t enough contrasting idea’s twisting and contorting the plot, the last thing needed was this voyage into trippy Jack’s mind.  It tore away from the plot that was developing on uneven feet already, and just threw it for another display of disorientation.

Until Jack has been resurrected from Davy’s Locker the film never quite feels like it knows what direction it’s going in and because it doesn’t have the same feel the first two had, the basic sequel trump card films usually get with an already created universe was virtually non-existent.  But after Jack had returned and the characters fell into their reliable and not so reliable actions everything developed more comfortably and the plot seemed to find it’s pacing.  Then the layers of suspense, action, and absolutely astounding CGI took on a life of their own.  Mysteries were unveiled and futures foreshadowed.  All to a boiling point that made for an over-the-top climatic scene that lived up to every expectation I had.

At The Worlds End surely had it’s problematic issues, but in general they were overcome.  With a grand finale to a fabulously entertaining trilogy that will last through the ages, At the Worlds End was entertaining and fun.  With two huge movies before it, it found it’s footing and is a nice addition to it’s predecessors.  It should have won the Oscar for special effects this year, but then that’s just my opinion, and not the Academy’s.  At The Worlds End was good fun and will be appreciated by anyone who enjoyed the first two.

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