“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”
Director Gore Verbinski
Walt Disney Pictures
(Out Of 5)
To hell with yer childish fantasies of chests of gold, tattered striped shirts and jolly nautical tunes. This be a darker sort of pirate lore.
“Pirates of the Caribbean” has come a long way since it was simply a Disneyland ride in New Orleans Square with slowly drifting boats and a dog that won’t let the prisoners have the keys to freedom. Actually, “Pirates” has come a long way since the release of the first film in 2003, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.” The first might still be the best, out of pure originality and technical perfection, but the third and most recent “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” directed by UCLA alum Gore Verbinski, makes a close run.
Likely (i.e. hopefully ““ let’s not overdo it, guys) the final installment of the “Pirates” series, “At World’s End” most notably surpasses the tolerable silliness and pointless adventures of last summer’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” Where “Dead Man’s Chest” was fun but mostly unsubstantial and viciously unsatisfying, “At World’s End” is deservedly intense, complex and ultimately rewarding. Indeed, the second “Pirates” was the transitional film we all hoped it was, providing a persistently crucial back story and context for the riveting finale.
“At World’s End” depicts the triumphant (cue music) rescue and return of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from the eerie netherworld that is Davy Jones’ Locker. But once Sparrow is safely back on the ruthless sea with a group of those whom you might call friends, “At World’s End” is no longer about the edge of the world, but rather an ultimate battle for rule of the sea. Pirate lords from across the globe (including an amusing Chow Yun Fat) convene to fight the powers of Davy Jones and the British who are vying for pirate extinction.
And that’s just the beginning.
The story itself is wrought thick with subplots, which along with the film’s sheer brutality make it by far the darkest and most mature of the “Pirates” films. Yet the complexity is on the verge of disaster. The dialogue is hit and miss ““ both in wit and comprehensibility. There is so much going on ““ visually, sonically and within the story ““ that it’s easy to get lost in the pirate shuffle. However, even if we miss something here and there, it is just so much blasted fun that it doesn’t actually matter in the end.
The hundreds of visual effects artists, always masterful Johnny Depp, and gorgeous Bahamas landscapes successfully let us wonder if a pirate’s life is really for us. The cast strikes a perfect tonal balance. Geoffrey Rush’s Barbossa is hard to dislike (despite remembering his treacherous past), and even Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann finally finds the balance between brawn and beauty.
And, ultimately, the finale leaves the satisfying aftertaste of a sumptuous pirate dessert. It may not have been healthy, but bet yer swag, mate, was it sweet.