Better than the second.

Rating: 8/10 (12 January 2009)

The first POTC movie is a real gem and we all knew that a sequel would mean more of the same: Hilarious jokes, funny characters, great and exciting battle-scenes and still able to maintain a gloomy atmosphere. In fact POTC uses the same ingredients as Indiana Jones.
In this perspective, Dead man's chest + At Worlds end, were decent follow-ups.
Story/plot: While Dead man's chest lacks a good plot and makes you often wonder if the story will ever go somewhere, At worlds end has one too many, but at least you had the feeling that the story is getting somewhere. In my opinion, the plot of restoring the divinity of Calypso was unnecessary and it contributed to much of the confusion near the end.
Acting: The acting is not overly different from the previous movies. This movie doesn't include the best actors, but a good dose of humor and over-the-top acting makes up for it. In the previous movies, Orlando Bloom tried to be funny, which he never was. In fact he was more annoying than funny. In 'At world's end' he doesn't try to be funny anymore, in fact his character has become much more grim and depressed and this is a great improvement over the last 2 movies.
Music: The Score is terrific, just like in the other movies. I really liked it and I definitely plan on getting the albums.
Jokes: The movie includes various styles of jokes: Ranging from obvious slapstick moments, over-the-top acting, to extremely funny dialog phrases ("Slap me thrice and hand me over to my momma" instead of "Wow" or something). When I watched the movie yesterday I almost rolled over the floor laughing.
Special Effects: Special effects are great except for the Calypso bit. A gigantic Jamaican women just looked stupid and I never understood the purpose anyway.
End: I see that many people are disappointed about the ending: William Turner becoming captain of the Dutchman, being separated from Elisabeth Swann, except for 1 day every 10 years (why cant he take her on the ship anyway) and Cap'n Jack Sparrow being bereft of his Pearl. Why does it have to be a happy end anyway? Although we all like Jack Sparrow, he is a terrible weak excuse for a captain. He is totally incapable of commanding a ship and the only reason people obey his orders is that they pity him or just like him (Biggs is practically the only one that is loyal to Jack no matter what). He runs, rather than stand and fight, he never takes responsibility for his actions but hides behind others. In my opinion it's highly unbelievable that he'll ever be able to captain a ship and crew for decades. Jack Sparrow is not a pirate, he is a dreamer who is in love with the sea. Barbossa is a much better captain and in my opinion it's only obvious that he successfully retakes the Pearl, although I feel sorry for Jack that he lacks the backbone to pursue his dreams.