Flawed, sure, but a great ride

Rating: 8/10 (28 May 2007)

I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer quality of "Curse of the Black Pearl" Pirates made sexy again? Johnny Depp finally getting some recognition from the Academy? Blockbusters made fun? It was like a childhood dream brought to life. Like many, I anticipated the sequel. That film, 'Dead Man's Chest', was to me a crushing disappointment, like a similar Part 2 in an epic franchise, the Matrix Reloaded. I didn't hate Pirates 2, but a lot of things were wrong with it, and it seemed to lack the light tone of the original and the overall sense of fun. Despite this, I resolved to see 'At World's End' - and I'm glad I did. Certainly, there are problems with the film, such as: 1) The subplot with Tia Dalma, which is forced and ill thought out. 2) There are too many double and triple crosses, and while they are fun at first, they quickly become monotonous and serve the further complicate an already intricate film. 3) The film is too long 4) Poor treatment of secondary characters .The Kraken is written out, for no reason I could determine, Davy Jones becomes a crony, an insult to a great character and very little screen time for Johnathan Pryce or Jack Davenport. 5) The post credits coda, made meaningless by removing dialogue which explains it was a happy ending. 6) The opening scene, which seems nothing more than a swipe at the politics of the US. While this seems like a long list of complaints, there are many elements which easily make this film excellent - Depp's superb performance (or performances, if you will), Geoffrey Rush, chewing the scenery with even more aplomb than in 'Curse', the magnificent effects work, especially in the final battle and Davy Jones's crew, as well as the man himself, who seems even more real than he did in 'Chest'. Almost certainly, Pirates 3 will win the VFX Oscar next year. I also praise the make up crew, for making so many actors with Hollywood good looks seem diseased and weather beaten. Extra points for the scar tissue and fingernails on Sao Feng, played by Chow Yun Fat. As usual with 3rd films, there are rumours this is the end of the Pirates saga. However, the filmmakers had the smarts to set up the film in a way so that 'At World's End' functions as a satisfying potential end to the saga, as well as providing the opportunity for more adventures with the characters we have come to admire and love with this film series.
Final Score - 8/10