So long, farewell, it could have been better....

Rating: 6/10 (26 May 2007)

Pirates of the Caribbean 'At World's End' is the final installment of Gore Verbinski's Pirates films  wrapping up the story of Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth Swann, Will Turner, Captain Barbosa and Davy Jones.
The film picks up pretty much where 'Dead Man's Chest' finished off. Jack is lost to Davy Jones's locker. Will still assumes that Elizabeth wants to rescue Jack because she loves him. Will is still determined to save his father, Boot-strap Bill, from spending an eternity as apart of Jones's ship. Cutler Beckett has plans to blow all pirates out of the seven seas for good. Barbosa wants the black pearl back. And this is where 'At World's End' begins... well actually the journey starts off in Singapore, with the crew meeting pirate King Sao Feng (Yun-Fat Chow) and asking for his help in defeating Beckett....
The beginning of the film is somewhat Sparrow-free, and therefore lacking. In fact, the first 2 hours are pretty lacking as there is a concentration on uninteresting subplots that have nothing to do with Jack Sparrow and everything to do with making the first half of the film a wee bit tedious. The first 2 hours covers a very complex sub-plot about Davy Jones and Calypso (Naomie Harris) that is very predictable and very badly wrapped up in the end, making the whole thing a bit pointless really. Then there is the other plot about the brethren of pirate lords who have to join forces to defeat Beckett, unleash Calypso..... and yeah, I really cant explain what those 2 sub-plots were about because I have positively no idea. You really get the sense that the writers were extremely rushed in churning out this final pirates (written, I assume, simultaneously with 'Dead Man's Chest') and as a result the first 2 hours are a convoluted mix-match of stories thrown together to thicken out the film. Let's be honest, the Pirates films are so beloved because of one man, Johnny Depp. This is no secret. When Jack Sparrow isn't on the screen you are wondering "when is Jack coming back? Is he coming back soon?". So it's a fair sure thing that any Pirates plot that isn't centered around Sparrow is not going to hold audience interest for too long. Essentially it is the last hour of the film that is really important. Forget the rest, sneak in after 2 hours and you are good to go. This is when all the action takes place, and it is brilliant. Verbinski is in his directorial element in the ship scenes; and the third installment does not leave the audience wanting in that department. A Western style show-down on the seven seas between Davy Jones's the flying Dutchman, Sparrow's Black Pearl and Beckett's Endeavor is brilliant, large-scale mastery. Boom goes the dynamite.
The other big story that is wrapped up is that of Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner. Personally, a little too cheesy for my liking, made even cornier by the soap-opera acting style of Orlando Bloom, the quintessential buccaneer. Be sure to stay for the end credits, as there is a bonus scene tucked in for the Elizabeth/Will shippers.
The Pirates movies have become to this Generation Y of movie-goers what 'The Godfather' trilogy was to Generation X  something we hold very close to our hearts. Repeating the lines again and again, 'Savvy' has pretty much become the 'I made him an offer he couldn't refuse' quint-essential quote. Johnny Depp's iconic Jack Sparrow sway is Marlon Brando's cotton-mouthed jowls  and everyone has an impersonation up their sleeve. So of course, the finale to the Pirates phenomenon is going to be a big deal. Unfortunately, the final installment doesn't really deliver the goods. Jack Sparrow has more slap-stick comedy moments than brilliant one-liners and Johnny Depp isn't really able to work any physical comedy routines, which is a shame, his human skewer in 'Dead Man's Chest' was brilliant. Clearly the third film is skating on thin ice, ideas are being stretched and the third script is no match for 'Curse of the Black Pearl's' concise story-telling, witty brilliance; 'At World's End' is far more convoluted and sloppy. Regardless, the Pirates films have become a real phenomenon; they will be on many people's 'favorite films of all time' list and there is no excuse if you have seen and enjoyed the first two to not see how it all ends in 'At World's End'. You just have to, savvy?