Hard-hitting, Spectacular, Fantastic- Ends the franchise in style!

Rating: 10/10 (21 May 2007)

I have been waiting a long time to see this movie, and thus I was happy to buy tickets for a special screening in the US whilst on my travels. Now, as it is, most threequels (or the last in a series of films) are hugely disappointing (look at Jaws 3, Scream 3 etc etc) so I was expecting to be slightly displeased, especially being a life long Pirates fan, so I was hoping and praying that the makers would get it just right, and thankfully-very thankfully they did. In fact, I would argue that Pirates 3 or 'At World's End' is up to the standards (if not better!) than the original- a question I will leave open to other viewers. The story is fairly new- Barboassa, Elizabeth and Will must sail to past the end of the earth to set free the disfuctioning spirit of Captain Jack Sparrows who as we know has been devoured by the hungry and monstrous Kraken (which makes yet another appearance along with other fantastic creatures) and once Jack is back, he has to confront the evil Davy Jones for one final battle which will determine weather our witty, joke-cracking, swash-sing buckling' hero can sail away on the high seas or become a life-long slave on the Flying Dutchman.
And it really is one hell of a battle. This battle makes the one's in Star Wars and Harry Potter look like a sing-song with Alvin and the Chipmunks-really. Its swords at the ready as the ending unfolds into a huge eye-opening thriller. You'll be asking yourself- 'is he really going to do that?' before screaming in delight 'oh my god-he is!!' and when he does you can bet you wont be disappointed! But its not just the amazing ending that makes Pirates 3 a masterpiece of cinematic history- the rest of the film is perfect too, from Captain Jack's one-liners 'Aye men, we must fight...to run away!' to the swash-buckling baddie-turned goodie Barboassa, to the sweet performances given off our young hero's Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom, who do equally as well in carrying the film along. Another cool aspect of this film is that unlike the second film the pace is kept running with scenes tending not to drag on, plus we see a lot more of Jack than in the first 2, so we have more time to like him and understand him, something the fantastic Johnny Depp can do with charm. The characters are all there and superb. The settings are stunning and beautiful, the music is thrilling and there is something for everyone without getting tiresome or boring beforehand. Pirates 3 completes the series, not just with a bang, but with a Yo-Ho and a bottle of rum!