Pirates Plot is Plodding

Rating: 3/10 (10 July 2007)

This series started out with a bang and has nosedived considerably in its sequels, with part three a convoluted and boring mess of a movie. Johnny Depp offers nothing new in his portrayal of Jack Sparrow, and even appears to be a bit tired of it. As for the writing, it's taken the characters and plot line way over the top, offering the viewer form over substance, and the form is way overblown. The director of this failing series seems to believe if he inserts enough special effects and strange characters he will have a good movie, and he's wrong. At least the first edition had a believable storyline, even if it did move from adventure into horror. Geoffrey Rush appears to simply be fulfilling his contract agreement instead of acting, and that is unusual for him in the extreme. I actually fell asleep during several minutes of the first half of this boring tale, which is overlong and too full of itself. Just as you think it's reaching its denouement, it picks up again, teasing us into further boredom. I must admit, my interest picked up considerably with the arrival of Kieth Richards, but as suddenly as he appeared, he was gone. If you are aware of the plot of the first episode, it's really not important to go into detail about the next two. Nasty and slimy creatures are once again defeated by Sparrow and his co stars. Ho hum. At the World's End indeed. With any luck, the viewer will be at the series end.