Pirates of the Carribean:At World's End - movie review

In 2003 I went to the movies to see a film based on a Disneyland attraction. If it had not been for the casting of the sublime Johnny Depp and the up&coming hottie Orlando Bloom I may never have considered it. But I went anyway. And it was fantastic. Smart, creative, technologically brilliant and full of swashbuckling fun. Of course it would spawn sequels. And so it has.

Last summer saw the release of flick number two (which you can read about here) and this weekend landed ship #3 on audience shores. Coming in at almost 3 hours, the adventure At World's End requires some planning. You must commit to that time and at least 2/3 of it will be well-spent. And so, like so many other blockbusters these days the film is too long. The padding comes in two places: in an extensive series of opening vignettes that keep fan-fave Jack Sparrow off the screen far longer than expected and in the long-winded fight scenes that actually lose some momentum.

Lucky for the POTC fans (if not the audience at large) the film has maintained the visual impressiveness that characterizes the series. The first film had skeletons, the second sea people and the third is all about the world. This time around it is the environment that captures the imagination. Ships travel through iceberg-filled canals, Jack wallows in a white wasteland, and the sea opens in a maelstrom of rain of waves. These fantastic elements are fitting considering the soul of the film is Calypso - the mythological daughter of the sea god. Once again the film goes to the heart of ocean lore to build its story. And for the most part, it works.

The other thing that stands out in this film is the undercurrent of love that binds it all together. Elizabeth and Will appear to be broken apart and their tale is twinned with the backstory of Davey Jones' heart and the curse of the Flying Dutchman. It is in the scenes between estanged lovers that the film achieves true feeling and the pace takes pleasant respite from the swordplay and boarding parties. Depp sashays through the complex tale with an increased mania until the final frame when he returns to his Black Pearl self. And at this moment, the series shows how it has come full cirle. How it has tied-up all the loose ends of this particular adventure and how it still has room for more if the movie gods deem it to be.

Of course you could go just for the effects. Or for Depp. Or to see how Orlando Bloom has finally moved into some masculinity. To watch Keira Knightley become the Pirate King and Keith Richards rock his black eyeliner. You can go for the swordfights in Asian villages and on cursed ships. You can go for the labour-movement/anit-corporatist politics (seriously - they are there!). Or you can go because so few movies these days manage to be treasure troves of comedy, action, romance, visual effects, mythology and star power that a slightly overblown one is not that bad a choice.