A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: Pirates of the Caribbean (3): At World's End

Date Viewed: 5/26/07

Details:

Johnny Depp

Geoffrey Rush

Orlando Bloom

Keira Knightley

Jack Davenport

Bill Nighy

Stellan Skarsgard

Chow Yun-Fat

Naomie Harris

Keith Richards

Director: Gore Verbinski

Score: Hans Zimmer

Score: +

The Review: Finally, a summer sequel worth the wait, and some entertainment worth the time.

Why are they singing on the gallows? What happened to Captain Jack Sparrow? And for the tree-huggers among you, what happened to the Kraken? Just what is Davy Jones' locker? And why is Davy Jones so grumpy? Where did his curse come from? Why are they crawling around the darkest pits in Singapore? How much of the two previous adventures do you have to remember to enjoy this episode?

The answer to the last question depends on how concerned you are about understanding and following the plot. If you just want a rousing romp through the seven seas (or the Caribbean and a variety of other non-spaces) with some fabulous special effects, then it matters not what you've seen, remembered or forgot. On the other hand, if you're one of those people who actually tries to figure out what's happening on screen -- as if an entertainment had any predisposition to logic or reality -- then you're going to be very confused unless you have a good memory. You may even be very confused if you do have a good memory -- it depends on whether you've engaged your forebrain or your limbic system. However, if you're forebrain inclined, you will get answers to all the aforementioned questions, as well as details about the Pirate Court, the King of the Pirates, the real task assigned to the Flying Dutchman, and several other curiosities of the nether-realms, including how to navigate between them. Never would you have thought that a theme-park ride would have so many philosophical and sociological nuances.

My ears are still ringing! Hans Zimmer's pounding score keeps the adrenaline pumping for over 2h45m, even through the credits. It's long, and (obviously) has no intermission (what do you think this is, Ben Hur?), but it doesn't feel anywhere as long as Spider-Man 3 did. Tedium, thy name is definitely not piratical.

The clear star of this episode is Keira Knightley; she has come into her own here, and is both a very attractive and a strong, central figure. Bloom is a bit of a disappointment. The surprise is meeting Jack Sparrow's father! And there's a tidbit at the end of the credits that gives you yet another (tiny) reason for sticking around and listening to Zimmer's score while watching the hordes of names float by.

Is this the end of the franchise? Likely not, but any successors will have to be constructed along slightly different lines.

(27-May-07)

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