Well...the Special Effects are Top Notch!

Rating: 7/10 (27 May 2007)

Everyone working on Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End in the Visual, Sound, Cinematic and Special Effects departments should be very proud. This film is by far the best of those categories of the year - so far (and an excellent front runner for all of those Oscar awards by year end). If you see the film for nothing else, that will astound you and more than pay for your price of admission. See it on the big screen.
Now the story - here's where my disappointment lied. While many say it tied up loose ends, it did - minimally. The story could have been a bit more tighter meaning a few obviously elongated/scenes could have been left on the cutting room floor to make it flow better.
The acting? Everyone in ans surrounding the supporting characters roles did well and in a few cases - more - than the script called for.
The featured characters - Chow Yung Fat who is an excellent intense actor was wasted in this script BUT did a heck of a job for what he was given. I can say that about many of the actors here - Geffrey Rush, always fun as Cpt. Barbosa was not as wild as he could have been (okay, I'll say it - to coin a running joke from his first performance, he needed more hats!). The assorted 'gathering' of Pirates was wasted - they could have done more; Bill Nighy was ab fab as Davy Jones but the Calyspo thing was a wasted, wasted, wasted opportunity. That surely could have been better flushed out towards its end (See the old 'Jason and the Argonauts' for details!). Then there is Elizabeth (Kiera) and Will (Orlando). Interesting is all I can determine for I could have done without them and their antics for the most part, but in other pivotal parts, these two were fine.
Then...there's Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. I did miss much of him throughout this film and a great deal of him was so 'abstract', it took away from what we all love about the character and his "wanton, sexy, gypsy, pirate" role.
This is an entertaining film, contains much to keep you on the edge of your seat in special effects, thrills and action, especially the last forty minutes which takes you back to what this is all about.
This was an almost three hour movie and I had no problem with that - if it all was interesting as the last forty minutes. And for those who stay at the end of the credits? I did. No big deal really. You can stay...or you can or you can wait for the DVD to see it. To me, it was no big deal but sweet.