A Satisfactory Conclusion, If Not A Memorable One.

Rating: Null/10 (17 July 2015)

The third & final instalment of Gore Verbinski's Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy is a bloated & convoluted mess that unnecessarily adds more complexity to the plot by introducing too many characters instead of bringing its pirate mythology to a satisfactory conclusion, lacks the very sense of fun that made its predecessors click so well and is the weakest film of the three.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End continues the events that unfolded in Dead Man's Chest and follows Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann & the crew of the Black Pearl as they team up with the resurrected Captain Barbossa on a quest to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones' locker and then join the other pirate lords to make a final alliance against their common enemy, the East India Trading Company.
Directed by Gore Verbinski, there is no denying that At World's End is visually striking but the issues that surfaced in the previous chapter only get worse here for the story features too many new subplots for what was intended to be the series' finale, takes way too much time to get things moving, and also happens to be tediously paced for the most part which makes its 169 minutes of runtime a challenge to sit through.
On the technical scale, the film fares much better for the set pieces are grand, impressive & finely detailed. Cinematography is very much in tune with the previous instalments and the camera makes fab use of its angles, movements & colour tones. Editing however is a major step down for the length of its narrative isn't justified at all plus there are many sequences it could've managed without plus a better pace would've definitely benefited the experience.
Visual effects continue to make its mark and its use is much more extensive in this chapter, especially in the action-packed moments and of course, the grand finale. And last but not the least is the background score by Hans Zimmer which presents the legendary composer at the top of his game for the soundtrack carries the same epic feel of its predecessor with a melancholic tone seamlessly blended into the narrative and it amplifies the experience by a great deal.
Coming to the performances, At World's End brings back the cast of the first two films for one last venture and has a new addition in Chow Yun-fat who plays one of the pirate lords. Johnny Depp's rendition of Captain Jack Sparrow is a mixed bag for there are glimpses of the usual wit & charisma that made him such a beloved character in the first place but his eccentricity is stretched to a point where it almost stopped working and those hallucination scenes are simply unacceptable.
The contribution by its supporting cast is all over the place though. Orlando Bloom & Keira Knightley do a fine job in their respective roles of Will & Elizabeth, Bill Nighy as Davy Jones has his moments, Tom Hollander as Cutler Beckett takes over the role of prime antagonist of the series, Naomi Harris' character gets a major expansion in this chapter yet the finest work comes from Geoffrey Rush whose Captain Barbossa is the only character who shows no loss in form and is absolutely thrilling to watch.
On an overall scale, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End joins the long list of second sequels that failed to capture the magic of its predecessors and while not as rewarding as expected, it still ends the trilogy on a satisfactory level thanks to its final hour that redeems much of what was wrong with the picture with an effects-laden & action-packed finale even if it seems quite over-the-top. Enjoyable in bits n pieces, entertaining in the second half but also marred by useless twists, At World's End nonetheless packs in a few thrills & spectacle to bow out on a slightly fulfilling note, if not a memorable one.