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Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
After last summer's horrible Dead Man's Chest, I was very worried for the third installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. It seemed like even the ever-brilliant Johnny Depp couldn't save the second movie from disappointing me, and that made me weary about watching this third one. At World's End picks up right where we were left at. Captain Jack Sparrow is dead, sentenced to eternity of suffering in Davy Jones' Locker. The rest of the Pirate crew, led by the sinister Captain Barbosa trek to Singapore to uncover the map that will take them to where Sparrow is kept prisoner. What ensues is the usual brand of Pirate back-stabbing and swash-buckling. Sparrow returns to the land of the living, and the untrustworthy band of scullywags wage war on Davy Jones and the East India Trading company. After a few more incidents of cheating, lying, and savvy-ing, Captain Jack Sparrow meets face-to-face with Davy Jones while Will Turner and Miss Swan (the newly crowned King of the Pirates) finally proclaim their love for one another. I won't say much else about the plot right now, but be forewarned THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.
The Good: The action is pretty incredible in this installment. During Dead Man's Chest I felt that the action sequences went on far too long, but this time around the action totally delivered. The sword battle between Sparrow and Davy Jones is full of cunning humor and style. Even Elizabeth Swan gets tough in this flick, killing a few bad guys here and there. The movie was nearly three hours long, but I never felt as though it was a long movie. The pacing was quick, and the only thing that felt at all long was my bladder whispering into my ear that I shouldn't have drank that Coke all at once. Needless to say, time went by quickly. The return of Captain Barbosa really escalated At World's End. His character's brief appearance in Dead Man's Chest was the only really exciting moment of the film, and his presence on-screen is as strong as his relationship with Captain Jack Sparrow. One of my favorite small parts of this sequel was the examination of Sparrow's psyche/insanity/multiplicity. Perhaps his odd banter and mannerisms are actually because he's always seeing himself everywhere. Will Turner finally lives up to his word, freeing his father and becoming a captain of a ship. And lastly, I LOVED the ending. Turner is dying, but is saved by the same curse that plagued Davy Jones. So the now married Turner and Miss Swan are forced into possibly the longest distance relationship ever. Some people may not like the ending, and seeing that Miss Swan and Will can't be together, but don't worry she is holding on to his heart for him, and he will see her again in ten years. Unless of course there is a Pirates IV, and then all bets are off.
The Bad: I've complained before about the parallels between the Pirates movies and the original Star Wars trilogy. Sparrow is Han Solo, Miss Swan is Princess Leia, and Turner is Luke Skywalker. Turner, much like the young Skywalker, falls into action by accident in an adventure to rescue the princess. Along the way he meets a pirate who gives him a lift, but has his own agenda in mind. Then in the sequel, Turner discovers that his dead father is actually alive and hanging out with the bad guys. Oh yeah, just like Darth Vader. Then there's that weird love triangle thing. So I swore to myself if there was anything in At World's End that remotely resembled Ewoks, I'd throw poo at the screen. Luckily, the only parallel I've noticed in the third chapter is Will's father's climatic rescue of his son. I kid you not, when Bootstrap Bill Turner was watching Will get beat up by Davy Jones, and he started wincing with his "My son... my son..." speech all I could think of was Vader slam dunking the Emperror in Jedi. So that was really the only thing about the movie I didn't like. There was one part I just didn't understand though. It was when the East India Trading Company's ship was being totalled by the Pirates and their leader just stared off into nothing. Maybe a second viewing will shed some light on that part.
The Verdict: This might be the longest review I've ever written for this site, and that's probably because there was a lot I wanted to say. Nay, a lot that I felt the need to say. I was very vocal about my dis-like for Dead Man's Chest, and I'm not going to take any of it back. I will, however, forgive the Pirates franchise for making me watch part 2, because it did lead in to the incredible At World's End. A movie to definitely see again, the stories and lives of the characters could end here and I would be happy with the ending as it were. Barbosa leads the Black Pearl once again. Captain Jack Sparrow is seeking his future. And the newly-married William and Elizabeth Turner are forced to continue to test the binds of their love. It all came full circle, really. Will always loved Miss Swan from afar, and he'll have to continue to do so for the next ten years. So all in all, At World's End returned us to the magical storytelling of the first Pirates movie. And I recommend everyone to check it out.
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