Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
It’s fitting that “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” is based on a Disney theme park attraction since the follow-up gives viewers quite a ride and rarely slows down despite a needlessly long running time that stretches to almost three hours. Gore Verbinski, who also directed the first two installments (“The Curse of the Black Pearl” and “Dead Man’s Chest”), takes an attention-deficit-disorder approach to the PG-13 picture. Working with a reported budget of $300 million, he paints the screen with high-seas images of pirate ships swirling in the ocean, cutthroats dueling on land and sea and Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) using skill, wit and luck to get out of more death-defying situations than James Bond.
Much of the fun comes from familiarity with Depp’s eccentric pirate and his interaction with Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann and Captain Barbossa, played by Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Geoffrey Rush, respectively. Even when the screen antics become outrageously silly, “At World’s End” still entertains because Verbinski understands how much audiences enjoy sharing adventures with these four characters who often travel in different directions but always find their way back together.
That affection for Sparrow, Turner, Swann and Barbossa allows one to overlook the broadly drawn, dramatically strained story with sweaty pirates grunting, groaning, boozing and leering and just go along for the ride with the performers. Fortunately, some genuine surprises occur during “At World’s End,” which also deepens the connections between the characters and the people closest to them and offers greater emotional elements than the previous “Pirates” adventures.
Rolling Stones fans will be particularly delighted by rocker Keith Richards’ widely touted cameo as a pirate king and the father of Depp’s character. Depp has credited the colorful Richards with inspiring his eccentric approach to Sparrow as he transformed the character into a jumpin’ Jack flash, indeed.
In the story, sadistic Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) of the East India Company vows to stamp out piracy and uses any lethal means necessary – including drafting the revenge-seeking Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) and his otherworldly crew members on The Flying Dutchman – to exterminate the enemy.
That, of course, serves as an excuse for the pirate kings – known as the Nine Lords of the Brethern Court and including Chinese Captain Sao Feng (Hong Kong action star Chow Yun-Fat of “The Killer”) – to put their selfish ways behind, band together and battle a common enemy.
Any fan of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series will be able to predict most of the plot developments, but Depp, Bloom, Knightley, Rush and Verbinski deliver enough unexpected twists of fate and turns of loyalty to create an intoxicatingly enjoyable adventure epic.
During the world premiere of “At World’s End” earlier this week in Disneyland, Richards told the press that being in the film and attending the lavish opening ceremony made him fell like he was on “a sort of flashback acid trip.” Fans may not be that blown away by the third “Pirates” visit, but they should certainly find it a cinematic version of a magic-carpet ride.
Postscript: Don’t leave the theaters during the end credits. When the long list concludes, there’s a touching brief scene that serves as a warm and winning way to end this trilogy, though don’t be surprised if a fourth installment – which is set up near the end of the new movie – is soon announced. “The Curse of the Black Pearl” grossed $655 million worldwide, while “Dead Man’s Chest” grossed an astronomical $1.06 billion globally.
FILM REVIEW
“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”
Grade: B+
Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, Chow Yun-Fat, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander and Keith Richards; screenplay by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, based on Walt Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean attraction; produced by Jerry Bruckheimer; directed by Gore Verbinski.
Running Time: 167 minutes.
Parental Guide: PG-13 rating (strong violence, frightening images, sexual innuendo).
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