An exhilarating and epic finale to the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, this overlong film neatly resolves all the loose ends. Like so many trilogies, the 2nd and 3rd films go hand in hand and make use of the same characters and predicaments and introduce even more. With enough betrayals, side-switching and turnarounds to keep things both intriguing and confusing at times, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End perfectly compliments the pirate lore established by the first film.
In order to rescue Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from the watery grave of Davy Jones’ Locker, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and a band of pirates led by the notorious Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) must first steal a navigational chart from the Pirate Lord of Singapore, and then traverse a frozen ocean before facing the raging waterfalls at the mouth of a desert tomb. If this unimaginable feat weren’t enough, once accomplished, the adventurers must also unite the nine Pirate Lords of the World to wage a massive war against Cutler Beckett (now in control of Davy Jones) and stop his plans to eradicate the pirate way of life.
Just shy of three hours long, I’m curious as to who this film is meant to cater to. Will children be able to sit through a film this long? And while the film concludes most of the major plot points, in an attempt to be thoroughly unpredictable, the finale is anything but a storybook ending. The first film made me want to be a pirate, the second made me want to be a squid-faced buccaneer, and the third makes me glad I’m merely an audience member.
There’s swashbuckling action, although not as much as the first two, and there’s cool characters, although most of them were already introduced in the second film. The loose ends that are resolved merely create room for future episodes and so we’re left with a lot of curiosities by the end of this epic. While the first two films relied on fantasy and the supernatural (such as undead pirates and half-man half-fish soldiers) this third film goes even further. Not to the point of disbelief, but undoubtedly the film flows less smoothly due to the outlandishness of Davy Jones’ locker and the mysterious Calypso.
The second chapter of the pirate trilogy had the advantage of introducing a slew of new and interesting additions to the series while the third film was forced to conclude each story arc and subplot. It does, but not before adding several unnecessary alliances, betrayals, and twists that convolute the whole affair. Of the already massive cast of characters, new entries on the pirate side include Lord Sao Feng from Singapore (Chow Yun-Fat in an entertaining but ill-used role) and eight other pirate lords each with a unique appearance and little else. Keith Richards finally steps into a cameo as Jack’s father, that surmounts to nothing more than an amused smile if one knows where Depp procured some of his character’s mannerisms. Additionally the introduction of the goddess Calypso neither progresses the story nor enhances it, but rather accomplishes the thankless task of explaining whatever elements the writers didn’t really care to explain.
Of the returning cast few are improved or expanded upon, and those that are seem to be for the worse. Elizabeth Swann’s character seems to be riding high on female empowerment and throughout most of the movie this gets incredibly annoying. Dubbed the “King of the Pirates” and made a captain of her own ship, she barks orders and commands to everyone left and right. While she’s always been able to take care of herself, this latest chapter steps up her abilities by more than one unlikely notch. And if her power trip weren’t enough, she adds an unwelcome touch of melodrama that replaces the whimsical high-seas romance displayed in the previous two installments and even gives a tiresome battle speech before the final epic confrontation. James Norrington is utterly wasted and Cutler Beckett just keeps getting more devious and evil as expected but never quite reaches the memorable malevolence required to adorn any “greatest villains” list. Both Sparrow and Barbossa play off each other’s humorous idiosyncrasies with clever banter, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen in previous chapters. Perhaps the most interesting character study is that of Jack’s delusional multiplicity which adds to his already eccentric personality, but it may be too weird for mainstream audiences to accept.
With a macabrely menacing opening sequence that mimics the mood of Dead Man’s Chest, At World’s End sets the stage for a climactic showdown loaded with thrilling action, unparalleled special effects, and nonstop sarcastic quips from witty Jack Sparrow. While it succeeds wholeheartedly on the latter two of these accounts, it also incorporates an overly long running time into a conclusion that is both too intricately complex in arriving there and ultimately unsatisfactory in its resolutions. Falling into the unfortunate trend with sequels of late, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End can’t quite seem to retain the energy and momentum of its predecessors, and while still infinitely more entertaining than the Disneyland ride it’s based on, it will probably take just as long to get into.
— MoviePulse
