An action packed mishmash

Rating: 5/10 (29 May 2007)

The continuing adventures of Captain Jack and crew.
This time around the era of the pirate is coming to an end. There are strict laws in effect that grant no mercy to pirates or people who help them. Thus the pirates of the world try to gather together together and decide their fate, and of course get Captain Jack back.
By the end of the second movie, the word "overkill" was practically written across the screen. In this entry it is there for most of the movie. Desperately trying to top the previous two films, "At World's End" packs in relentless and overblown action sequences, filled with all sorts of special effects and pounding music in conjunction with the fact that it is trying to provide the viewer with a clever plot involving elusive allegiances and mythology.
The action scenes are just like before, only much more frenetic and constantly less believable. This is a fantasy film, but even the genre has defined limits between entertaining and ridiculous. This is just insanely overblown and ridiculous. The plot tries to be clever, but ends up playing like a daytime soap opera with allegiances substituting for relationships. The dialog is corny and has none of the wry humor that made the first "Pirates" so enjoyable. The mythology is not very clever and is just reincorporated elements from other mythologies that happen to suit the story - Calypso was the Ancient Greek Goddess of the sea, for one - but too bad that it is all so bland.
Clocking in at nearly 3 hours, the film could use some serious economy and pacing work to be enjoyable. Certain sequences are so long and end up leading nowhere until they are done and even then we are only provided with a short leap in the story. The worst offender of these being a dream/alternate reality sequence early on.
The end result of all this is an at times spectacular, at times confusing, at times entertaining, but always action packed mishmash adventure that screams for a better story. --- 5/10
Rated PG-13 for violence and intense action