Third Times a Charm

Rating: 9/10 (26 May 2007)

Third times a charm with "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." In my opinion it is the best of the trilogy hands down. I think I would be quite hard to find a movie as fun as this one this summer. Every scene is a blast to watch with the hilarious visuals or dialogue, or a great battle scene. Here's the downer though, the plot is so muddled, and confusing, there are so many times that you have no idea what's going on. Even director Gore Verbinski said he was confused at times. It's not a good sign when the maker doesn't even know what's going on. On top of that, half the time you have no idea who is on which side, as everyone backstabs each other at least once. So I won't even attempt to explain the plot, I would probably mess it up. But did I mention the movie is fun?
Johnny Depp, as always, is spectacular as Captain Jack Sparrow. There were times in the second film when it seemed that the filmmakers were forcing the Sparrow humor, but he has found his niche in this film again. There are scenes, like one with fifty Jacks in Davy Jones Locker, where you'll bust a gut laughing. Keira Knightley actually stepped it up for this one. She no longer seems like just a pretty face, she actually does some serious acting, and has some hilarious scenes. Orlando Bloom, is, well, he's just Orlando Bloom. A huge 'welcome back' goes to Geoffrey Rush who returns as Captain Barbossa. He not only is extremely cool, but he also may have passed Jack Sparrow as my favorite character. He is that good and you'll see why. Let's see, there are so many new and old characters I could mention that were amazing, but that would take up the whole page. There is one more worthy of mention though, Keith Richards. Yep, the Keith Richards as Jack's father. It is only a brief scene, but it is certainly a scene-stealer.
The C/G in "Pirates" has stepped it up even more than the amazing effects we saw in the first and second "Pirates". For example, the last battle takes place in a huge maelstrom, a battle scene that'll go down in movie history. Your jaw will be on the popcorn-covered floor of the theater. Just a word of warning though, This "Pirates" is the most brutal and violent of the three, with the body count innumerable.
This is certainly not going to be the best film-making of the summer, but it will be the most fun and entertaining one. And clocking in at just under three hours; be prepared to spend lots of time with pirates. For me, I could watch 'Pirates of the Caribbean" movies forever, so a three hour running time didn't hinder me, and it shouldn't hinder you. Everything is wrapped up nicely in the end, but you can tell they are hinting at many more stories for Captain Jack. Oh boy, I'm excited! And like every other blockbuster released so far, critics are roasting it. Don't they ever take a break? People watch "Pirates of the Caribbean" for fun, not for excellent film-making. Why can't they get that through their heads? Don't listen to them, see this film and have the time of your lives and be sort of confused.