Doesn't reach greatness of the original, or the blandness of it's sequel

Rating: Null/10 (1 June 2007)

Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End(2007)
Starring: Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow Keira Knightly as Elizabeth Swann Orlando Bloom as Will Turner Geoffery Rush as Barbossa Chow Yun Fat as Sao Feng
I sat down ready to finally watch some Pirates after being left on a cliffhanger for a year(which really wasn't a cliffhanger because they gave away what happens in the trailers). I really enjoyed the first Pirates movie. The second movie fell a little flat with me, but I still enjoyed it. Would this new one go the way of the second, the first, or just be terrible? I was ready to find out.
First thing that should be mentioned is the length and tons of plot lines that are throughout this movie. The trilogy really needed an epic finish and that's what happened here. Everything is resolved, all the alliances are finally in place for good, and everything that needs to go down does. This movie is very good at taking all of the things the first and second movies set up, and not only playing off of them but giving them some resolution.
I do have some small complaints. First of all, new characters are introduced and then don't have much screen time. Long time characters are killed off(I won't say which ones) after not much screen time themselves. There just wasn't time to explain anything, as they had to keep the movie going, even though it was close to three hours. Some of the dragging parts could have been taken out to develop more, or at least don't introduce the new characters in the first place.
My biggest complaint would be that Jack Sparrow is just there now. He was the life of Curse of the Black Pearl, and he started to wear thin in Dead Man's Chest but not quite. It just seems like they could have left him dead and the movie wouldn't have been any different. He doesn't add anything. It's not Johnny Depp's fault, it's the screenwriters. They took an interesting character and made him comic relief.
But he's really the only one of the main characters that isn't developed more. At first I hated what that did with Will Turner(Orlando Bloom) in that he really cares only about himself in this movie, but then I realized he finally made the transformation into a full-fledged pirate. Keira Knightly shines here, as her character has transformed from naive to cunning. Even some of the minor characters like Tia Dalma or Davy Jones get more development. Which, going back to my initial complaint, means everyone but Sparrow has something to do.
There's wasn't any need for character development or plot exposition, because we know all these characters already so we're ready for a movie that's mostly action-packed. And when the action happens, it's great. A cannon battle while swirling around a maelstrom, lots of sword fights, explosions, and of course Jack Sparrow vs Davy Jones on the top of the ship in a storm. It's all well done and works together. Plus it still has the humor and bizarre scenes that these movies are known for. The special effects help this out a lot and bring these battles to life.
Overall, Pirates 3 is something that needed the plot and length, which is something most were complaining about. Those elements actually help, and make this movie epic. While it's not without it's faults, At World's End is still a fun romp at the movies that everyone who liked the first two are sure to enjoy.
Rating: ***1/2 of *****