Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

1.5 out of 4

Starring: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy, Chow Yun Fat, Tom Hollander, Stellan Skarsgard, Jack Davenport, Naomie Harris

Director: Gore Verbinski

Time: 168 mins

Viewed: Loews Monmouth Mall, Eatontown, New Jersey

The third uber part 3 in three weeks is the conclusion of the 2-part sequel (following last year's Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest) to the unexpected smash hit Pirates Of The Caribbean: Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003). Captain Barbossa (Rush) leads his crew and lovebirds Will Turner (Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) in a quest to rescue the lovable rogue Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp), who's in a desert-like limbo after falling afoul of the dreaded Kraken. Meanwhile, the devious Lord Beckett (Hollander) aims to rid the oceans of piracy with the aid of the tentacled Davy Jones (Nighy) and his fishy mates. Long, long film begins promisingly with an interlude in steamy Singapore, where the pirate Captain Sao Feng (Chow Yun Fat) resides, but then devolves into talky double dealing, triple crosses and divided loyalties. Climactic battle in the swirling mouth of a whirlpool is not enough to redeem the amount of celluloid needed to reach this point. Have the writers and director Verbinski forgotten that this is supposed to be a summer movie? And what happened to the joyous, boisterous action setpieces from both the original and the first sequel, Dead Man's Chest? The action here is SERIOUS. Rush is fine as the sneering Barbossa, Chow Yun Fat adds some interest as the Singaporean pirate lord, and Knightley and Bloom have bigger roles, but Depp is less prominent this time out, which contributes to the decreased sense of fun. Wait around (if you so desire) for an after-credits epilogue that wraps up the whole trilogy.

(c) Joe Wong (28 May 2007)