Aye Calypso

Rating: 6/10 (28 May 2007)

Greetings again from the darkness. Sure, the movie is probably 45 minutes longer than it should have been. And yes, there are a multitude of details that don't add up or are just left dangling. And granted, the franchise drifted away from the stellar humor on display in the classic first installment. But, if you see a lot of movies, you have to admit that the visual feast provided here by director Gore Verbinski is a fitting send off (hopefully) for these beloved Pirates!
The usual suspects are all back ... Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa, Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann and Bill Nighy as Davy Jones. For some reason, Depp's screen time is again limited and Knightley's is expanded. She doesn't have the chops to pull off "King of the Pirates", but Verbinski obviously enjoys seeing her face (and weak voice) on screen. Rush sparkles as Barbossa and Bill Nighy actually gets to show a glimpse of the face behind the tentacles!
Naomie Harris has much more to do in this one as the pivotal Calypso character ... with some spectacular powers. And the always excellent Stellan Skaarsgard provides a touch of class as Bootstrap Bill. Joining the cast are Chow Yun-Fat as a powerful Singapore pirate and, of course, the much anticipated appearance of Keith Richards as Jack Sparrow's dad.
The story itself is a bit messy and convoluted, but again, this is about the visuals. The battle scenes are overwhelming and the ships are very impressive. For special effects, few, if any, have ever been better. The disappointment stems from what is a near waste of one of the most interesting and entertaining characters in film history, Jack Sparrow. The second and third films just didn't allow Depp to do much with Sparrow. When he does have screen time, the theatre comes alive with anticipation. Sparrow is who most of us have come to see. It could have been so much more.