Absolutely wonderful. Hilarious, complex, mysterious, and action packed.

Rating: 8/10 (25 May 2007)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End was a wonderful movie-going experience that must be seen in a theater. The audience participation definitely adds to the incredible movie. Though it is just under 3 hours, Pirates 3 is one of the most well done films I've seen recently, mixing almost every movie element into one amazing action adventure film.
Picking up right where Dead Man's Chest left off, Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is dead. Now our heroes (Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush) must stand together to retrieve him from Davy Jones' locker. Meanwhile, Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) is a reluctant servant to the will of Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander), whose vision is now clearer than ever. Every pirate must die. Each character also has personal motives in mind as well.
As always the acting behind Pirates is nothing short of spectacular, the most spectacular being Johnny Depp as usual. This performance is a little different than the one's we're used to, as Jack is even crazier than before, having been lost to Davy Jones' locker at world's end. Depp is as crafty, charming, and absolutely hilarious as ever before as the most famous character of the 2000's. One thing that really stands out for AWE that makes it better than the other 2 is that the character development is top notch. We really see a lot more insight into the minds of our characters, especially Will Turner, Davy Jones, and Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris). The other actors are just as great as Depp. Orlando Bloom gives probably the best performance of his career as Will Turner changes greatly throughout the film. I really enjoyed Bloom for the first time, and I've seen about 9 or 10 of his movies. Keira Knightley lives up to her Oscar nominated expectations, giving her best performance of the series. I know it's hard to believe, but Knightley is the hero of the movie, not Depp or Bloom. She is believable and inspiring towards the end of the movie. The supporting cast is excellent. Bill Nighy and Tom Hollander excel as the central villains, Jones and Beckett. Chow Yun Fat plays a somewhat secondary villain, but it's hard to categorize. His Sao Feng is a bad man, there's no doubt about that, but at times he's a good guy, and at times he's a bad guy. Naomie Harris and Jack Davenport also deliver, and Harris really shines this time around after limited screen time in DMC. Rolling Stone Keith Richards gives a nice turn as Captain Teague in a brief 2 scenes.
Enough about acting. Now to the technical aspects of AWE. The special effects will amaze you, especially the climactic battle sequence that occurs within a whirlpool (maelstrom, if you want to be scientific). How Gore Verbinski and his team created this movie is unthinkable. Every scene looks like it was worked on for weeks just to get the right mood and scenery going. The epic finale is absolutely breathtaking, not only in the action, but in the events that occur in it. The film is also well written by Disney vets Elliot and Rossio, doing exactly what Spider-Man 3 failed to do: effectively weave the main plot and sub plots together. The film is complex, the most complex of the 3. It has its twists and turns that will surprise most, making for an entertaining experience. There are also plenty of laughs, provided mostly by Depp and the crew. Everyone's favorite monkey is back as well, and he (well, it's a she playing Jack) is adorable as well. The film is an absolutely incredible adventure that should be seen in the theater. I recommend Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End to everyone.
10/10 --spy