Nice ending to an entertaining series

Rating: 7/10 (23 July 2007)

So here we are then with the conclusion of the strangely quite good trilogy based on a Disney theme park ride, and while I prefer the first two films overall; as an entertaining action fantasy, At World's End isn't bad at all! Filmed around the same time as the first sequel, the plot here follows on from that set out in Dead Man's Chest, and there are a number of surprises stemming from said film's ending. While the base plot itself is rather thin considering the amount of characters and vast running time, once again director Gore Verbinski decks the film out with a barrage of action sequences and Johnny Depp's Captain Jack is always on hand if things start to get a bit boring. The film begins with the main characters travelling to Davey Jones' Locker to rescue the doomed Captain Jack who died at the end of Dead Man's Chest. After getting the map from Captain Sao Feng, the crew sail to ends of the Earth to rescue Captain Jack. But there's more at stake as The East India Trading Company are now in control of Davey Jones, and are using him to get rid of the remaining pirates.
This film is decidedly weirder than the previous instalments and most of the strangeness comes from deluded Captain Jack, who seems to have been affected by his time in the locker. Although he doesn't have the most screen time here, it is, of course, Johnny Depp's maniacal portrayal of the despicable pirate that is the film's centrepiece. Depp clearly enjoys playing this role, and his quips are always a major highlight. There seems to be more of a focus on character building and plot in this film than there was in the last one, but there's still room for plenty of stunts and sword fights  unfortunately, however, there's nothing to rival the hilarious wheel scene in the first sequel. The main reason this sequel is so much fun it down to the diverse and interesting set of characters (which seem to take a fair bit of influence from Star Wars). All the returning characters still work well together and as was the case with the last film, the new ones fit in well too. Overall, this might not be life-affirming stuff - but its lots of fun and this film ensures that the Pirates series ends on a high.