Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

 

Genre: Action/ Adventure 

Time: 2h 48mins

Director: Gore Verbinski

Quick Summary: Captain Barbossa, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann must sail off the edge of the map, navigate treachery and betrayal, find Jack Sparrow, and make their final alliances for one last decisive battle.

How many double crosses can you fit into one film?

The cinematography was actually really impressive, there is some lovely period detail and I thought there were some very well-staged battle sequences, especially during the end as everything is set out on such a grand scale. The sets, costumes, and stunning visual effects are impressive as well and dare I say they're almost extremely believable. Like I actually forgot I was watching a fantasy world. 

I'll admit I wasn't vibing a lot for a good portion of this as I found it a lot slower than the previous two and being used to the chaotic nature they had, I did find it a bit difficult to engage with this. As well, this was pretty predictable this time around which was a shame since the previous two managed to stay away from that. But once it got to the last 40 minutes of this, I was instantly hooked. Everything leading up to this point was worth it.

Johnny Depp's rendition of Captain Jack Sparrow is a mixed bag this time for there are glimpses of the usual wit & charisma that made his character immortal in the first place but his eccentricity is stretched to a point where it almost stops working. Maybe the charm wears off after 2 films. However, I will say, that the hallucination scene while in Davy Jone's locker was brilliant, I enjoyed every second of that. After that, eh. 

Barbossa is one I actually someone I ended up enjoying a lot more this time around. I found him so funny compared to the last time we saw him. He feels so much more fleshed out, I actually didn't care we didn't get much backstory on him, he was just brilliant to watch on screen bouncing jokes between himself and Jack.

Also, I actually disliked Will during this film. To me, it felt like his character had changed too much and I could also see exactly what was going to happen to him at the end. This brings me to an issue that I am aware is a very hot take. Even though the battle and fight scene this takes place is very cool and very well choreographed. I did not like that Will and Elizabeth got married. It just felt unnecessary. Sure, I liked their romance, it was sweet. But it felt like they put it in just because it creates a dramatic moment, and with everything that Will did/ was happening with Will it didn't really make sense. As well it sort of reduced Elizabeth down to a simple love-struck heroine for me. This is a massive shame because she was so damn cool in this one, standing up to pirate lords, pulling off epic fights, and just being a very amazing strong female character. 

I did like that a lot more heart went into Davy Jone's backstory (Pun sort of intended). I felt a lot of pity towards him when he went into detail about the things that happened. Something that I forgot to touch on during my last review was just how cool his ship was as well. Imagine a cursed pirate ship, all scary-looking, full of a crew of undead-looking people. It's such a dread-inducing ship and it looks incredible. 

This is a very long film, and it manages to pad itself out fairly well. It's a shame they dropped the hectic feeling of the other two for this. But regardless, I still really enjoyed this film and think it's almost on par with the last two. I think it's a wonderful end to a trilogy. I just wish it tied everything up instead of leaving itself open for another one. 

8/10

"Jack Sparrow: What are *you* doin'? Captain gives orders on the ship.

Barbossa: The captain of the ship *is* givin' orders.

Jack Sparrow: My ship, makes me captain.

Barbossa: They be my charts!

Jack Sparrow: Well, that makes you

[pause]

Jack Sparrow: chartman."

"Elizabeth Swann: You will listen to me! LISTEN! The other ships will still be looking to us, to the Black Pearl, to lead, and what will they see? Frightened bilgerats aboard a derelict ship? No, no they will see free men and freedom! And what the enemy will see, they will see the flash of our cannons, and they will hear the ringing of our swords, and they will know what we can do! By the sweat of our brow and the strength of our backs and the courage in our hearts! Gentlemen, hoist the colors!"