A Convoluted Last Stand for the Pirates Still Entertains

Rating: 8/10 (21 October 2009)

I was more excited to see this PIRATES film than either of the previous when it arrived in theaters. The second film had left the series with an awesome cliff-hanger and I was desperate for resolution: Lord Beckett (Tom Hollander) of the East India Trading Company has found himself in possession of Davy Jones' heart and now controls the Flying Dutchman, Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) had just been eaten by the Kraken, and the remaining pirates were about to embark on a mission to bring their captain back from Davy Jones' Locker with a little help from one of my favorite characters of the series...Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). It's the conclusion to the PIRATES franchise and so now it's time to tie up all loose ends, and there sure is a lot of them.
One of the primary complaints about this film is that it's entirely way to complex. I can't understand that complaint, and almost agree with it. At this point in the series, there are so many double and triple-crosses that it becomes almost a chore to keep up with it all. Upon seeing the film a few times, I've gotten a good grasp of it all and can now appreciate the depth the writers, Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, managed to work into their trilogy. That's not to say the story's perfect, as there are a couple aspects I couldn't help but roll my eyes at. Jack Sparrow says it best in regards to the position of captain, "They're giving the bloody title away now." If you've seen the film, you'll know what I mean, as the characters of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) are elevated to unnecessary proportions. Throughout the series, I've never really cared much about Will, and Elizabeth was a fine supporting character but my attention was always drawn to Sparrow, Barbossa, and Jones. We now have all three of my favorite characters in the same film and the focus seems to shift to Elizabeth and Will.
Despite this attention shift, the movie is still great entertainment. My favorite segment would have to be Sparrow's imprisonment in the Locker, in which he finds his personality each represented by another Sparrow and together they hopelessly crew a a grounded Pearl. I also enjoyed the sequence in which we are given a chance to view the Brethren Court of Pirate Lords and the colorful characters that populate the seas. Top it all off with an incredible final battle in the raging seas of a maelstrom and you've got some great fun. Depp, Rush, Naomie Harris (as Tia Dalma), and Bill Nighy (as Davy Jones) are worth seeing this film alone but it's also got the usual collection of talented supporting players. Seeing as how the film is complicated for first-time viewers and can be a challenge to watch at a (quick-paced) 2.5 hours, I wouldn't say this film is better than DEAD MAN'S CHEST but it's still a worthy addition to the series and a fine bit of closure.