Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
I’ve never been the biggest fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. This is largely because I found the films overlong and bogged down by convoluted plots that resulted in a lot of repetition – characters moving back and forth from the same locations, striking up similar deals and doing identical ‘piratey’ things. This said, I did find the films more palatable with repeat viewings, where I was able to process events more carefully.
Anyway, as for the third instalment of the Pirates trilogy, At World’s End, I’m pleased to report that if you loved the first 2 films, you’ll have a complete blast with number 3. Many of my complaints above stand, but the film makers cleverly avoided the Spider-Man 3 pitfall of overloading the film with new characters, plotlines and overwhelming action set pieces.
The only new high profile character, pirate lord Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat) is actually a disappointment – personality-less, he exists merely as a plot device to help the characters reach World’s End, and give power to one of the film’s leads, so they don’t slip into meaninglessness.
At World’s End doesn’t attempt a “bigger is better” approach. Rather it sets out to resolve all the events left unresolved at the end of Dead Man’s Chest. It does this while restoring some of the Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) magic lost during the second film, when the character, pursued by the Kraken, morphed into a paranoid, self-serving weirdo.
In Dead Man’s Chest, attempts to make Jack funny seemed forced. In World’s End, witty Jack is back. One scene, in particular, gives the audience all the Jack they can handle.
This time around I particularly enjoyed the rivalry between Sparrow and The Black Pearl’s other captain, Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). Barbossa is actually one of my favourite characters in the film. Rush clearly has a lot of fun playing the film’s one “genuine” pirate captain, complete with monkey sidekick, and commanding pirate manner – dishing out insults, and laughing manically while steering his vessel into a maelstrom.
Watch out also for Keith Richards as a veteran pirate who looks and acts like Captain Morgan after a hundred too many rum-fuelled beach parties.
At World’s End is also notable for its action-packed treatment of sea battles. In the first film, combat involved the damage-resistant undead, so it wasn’t particularly involving. In the second film, the pirate crews mostly fought the giant tentacles of the Kraken. This time the audience is exposed to a full on naval battle, in the middle of a storm, on the rim of a giant whirlpool, with a surprising amount of violence for a Disney film. With cannons blasting and characters swinging between the ships, it’s amazing. It’s just one of the moments in the film where stunning visual effects are integrated into the action.
What I was perhaps most pleased about with the film was its very satisfying resolution, which restores balance to the Pirates universe while avoiding the overly sweet “happily every after” audiences may have been expecting.
So yes, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is the first real audience-pleasing blockbuster of the season.
Anyway, as for the third instalment of the Pirates trilogy, At World’s End, I’m pleased to report that if you loved the first 2 films, you’ll have a complete blast with number 3. Many of my complaints above stand, but the film makers cleverly avoided the Spider-Man 3 pitfall of overloading the film with new characters, plotlines and overwhelming action set pieces.
The only new high profile character, pirate lord Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat) is actually a disappointment – personality-less, he exists merely as a plot device to help the characters reach World’s End, and give power to one of the film’s leads, so they don’t slip into meaninglessness.
At World’s End doesn’t attempt a “bigger is better” approach. Rather it sets out to resolve all the events left unresolved at the end of Dead Man’s Chest. It does this while restoring some of the Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) magic lost during the second film, when the character, pursued by the Kraken, morphed into a paranoid, self-serving weirdo.
In Dead Man’s Chest, attempts to make Jack funny seemed forced. In World’s End, witty Jack is back. One scene, in particular, gives the audience all the Jack they can handle.
This time around I particularly enjoyed the rivalry between Sparrow and The Black Pearl’s other captain, Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). Barbossa is actually one of my favourite characters in the film. Rush clearly has a lot of fun playing the film’s one “genuine” pirate captain, complete with monkey sidekick, and commanding pirate manner – dishing out insults, and laughing manically while steering his vessel into a maelstrom.
Watch out also for Keith Richards as a veteran pirate who looks and acts like Captain Morgan after a hundred too many rum-fuelled beach parties.
At World’s End is also notable for its action-packed treatment of sea battles. In the first film, combat involved the damage-resistant undead, so it wasn’t particularly involving. In the second film, the pirate crews mostly fought the giant tentacles of the Kraken. This time the audience is exposed to a full on naval battle, in the middle of a storm, on the rim of a giant whirlpool, with a surprising amount of violence for a Disney film. With cannons blasting and characters swinging between the ships, it’s amazing. It’s just one of the moments in the film where stunning visual effects are integrated into the action.
What I was perhaps most pleased about with the film was its very satisfying resolution, which restores balance to the Pirates universe while avoiding the overly sweet “happily every after” audiences may have been expecting.
So yes, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is the first real audience-pleasing blockbuster of the season.
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