A flawed but definite return to form for the franchise...

Rating: 6/10 (3 June 2007)

The question that was probably on most peoples' minds as they queued to watch the new Pirates of the Caribbean film was a very worrying one: would the third chapter of Verbinski's trilogy be more like the first movie, with its irresistible, light-hearted blend of swashbuckling and comedy, or would it suffer from the same defects as Dead Man's Chest, with an over-complex, rambling plot and rushed direction? The answer is...well, something in between, with, I'm happy to say, a shift towards the former. True, the plot makes even less sense than ever, (and Chow Yun-Fat's much-hyped role as pirate lord Sao-Feng largely unnecessary) with its twists and turns of bargaining till it is no longer easy to remember who is allied with whom- and the various betrayals and double-crossings are still likely to make you groan rather than smile. And there is a great deal, frankly, in this film that Verbinski should not be forgiven for. The now wearied running slapstick gags. A peculiarly out-of-place, indulgent (yet undeniably beautiful) scene set in a bleached, computer-screensaver Underworld populated entirely by crabs. Pretty much everything that Orlando Bloom says or does during the film's duration.
But the movie comes through for us in grand style, and in this manner, riding roughshod over its many flaws, it is truly a triumph. The climactic battle, taking place on board the Pearl and the Dutchman as their crews fight in the midst of a whirlpool (thanks to the superb visual effects the scene manages to somehow be thrilling rather than ridiculous) is fittingly superb- after all, it's what the entirety of this film and Dead Man's Chest have been building up to. There are still some truly enjoyable performances amongst the cast: Depp, despite the new fad amongst critics for playing down his part, is clearly having the time of his life, as is Geoffrey Rush, equally delightful as Hector Barbossa, and getting plenty of opportunities for comic back-and-forth with his co-star. Keith Richards lurks in the background strumming guitars and rasping piratical nonsense. And, perhaps best of all, Verbinski seems to have remembered how to direct. Gone are the dodgy, panicked-looking visuals of Dead Man's Chest, replaced by some scenes of truly startling beauty. There's a surprisingly quiet moment in the film where the Pearl drifts through waters so clear that the stars reflect in them, giving it the appearance of simply floating through the night sky. That was worth the price of an entrance ticket for me alone.
I'd recommend the film, then: pretty much everyone in the world will go and see it regardless. But no matter how sceptical you go in, (and I will repeat that whatever your opinion of the rambling middle section, only a churl could fail to enjoy the final half-hour), it is highly likely that you will come out much as you did after watching the original film: surprised that so much time has passed so quickly, with serious doubts to raise, certainly, but at the same time feeling a little thrilled, a little exhilarated from the experience.