Somebody Give These Guys An Oscar

Rating: 10/10 (27 May 2007)

A great film trilogy is a rare thing. Most trilogies have one film that is way below par (Indiana Jones for example). Others begin sucking after the first (Smokey & The Bandit). Very few trilogies keep the same quality throughout, although it has happened occasionally (Star Wars; Lord of The Rings). Perhaps the rarest of all is when the third film of a trilogy surpasses the previous two. In fact, it has only happened twice in the history of film. The first time was The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly in 1966. Forty-one years later, it happened again. This is the 2nd time.
Not only is this the best film of the year, it's the best Disney film ever. In addition, it is the greatest film in the (WARNING: I DO NOT WISH TO OFFEND ANYBODY SO IF YOU ARE A STAR WARS FAN STOP READING THIS NOW) greatest film trilogy of all time.
Perhaps the most special thing about this film is the fact that it manages to be both the darkest and the funniest film of the series. The opening scene was so grim that I thought I had gone into the wrong movie. The opening is the last thing you would expect from Disney (for that matter, so is the closing, but I won't ruin that for you). However, it is also the hardest I've laughed during a movie since Borat.
I won't give away any of the plot, but I will praise some of the performances. Johnny Depp (the greatest actor of his generation) is great as always. Orlando Bloom has came a long way since the first film and he gives a terrific performance. Keira is as hot as always and this is also her best performance to date. It was a real joy to see Geoffrey Rush back in the series. Chow Yun-Fat was great as the villain and Keith Richards' cameo was one of the funniest moments in the film.
One of the biggest criticisms I've heard is that the film is hard to follow. I don't understand this. It took me two viewings to figure out Dead Man's Chest, but I found this one very easy to follow.
I'll close by making one final point. This film deserves every Oscar available, with Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush sharing the honor for Best Supporting Actor.
Will it win any Oscars? Maybe a few technical awards and possibly Best Score. However, the major awards are all going to go to smaller films that nobody will see until after they win.
And why is this? Well, to paraphrase Stephen King, "The critic's definition of over-rated is: something that too many people have enjoyed".
Enjoy the film.