Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - Review

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Length: 168 min

Rated: PG-13

Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures

Release Date: 2007-05-24

Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, Jonathan Pryce, Bil Nighy, Yun-Fat Chow, Tom Hollander, Tom Hollander, Stellan Skarsgard, Kevin McNally, Jack Davenport, Naomie Harr

Directed by Gore Verbinski

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer

Written by Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio

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Reviewed by Josh Tyler : 2007-05-25 18:09:16

We’re three movies in to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and I still have no idea who Will Turner is. He’s never developed a personality. Whether that’s because no one has bothered to write him one or because Orlando Bloom has all the acting range of a two-by-four is hard to say. It’s probably a combination of both. We may not know who Will Turner is, but nobody seems to care. There are so many big personalities in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End it hardly matters that the skinny little pale fellow over in the corner never turned in to an actual character. Big personalities rule these seven seas, and the biggest of those personalities is of course Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. But At World’s End proves that while his place in piracy may be the biggest, it’s not necessarily the most important. Pirates 3 is better than Pirates 2 for one, very good reason: Forget Captain Jack, Captain Barbossa is back!

At World’s End picks up the story where we left it, with Jack Sparrow dead and Captain Barbossa undead. Barbossa, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swan assemble a ragtag group of rescuers who set out to bring Jack back from the dead by sailing to the end of the world and back. Each is there for his own reasons, and none of them are particularly altruistic ones. It’s no spoiler to tell you that early on they find him. Unfortunately, some of the audience may bail out right there. Jack is in the piratical version of hell, which screenwriters Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio have written as something that might have been more comfortable in Depp’s drug tripping flick Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. After a lot of truly bizarre, supernatural insanity, Jack and the gang are back in the land of the living and ready to even the score against Davy Jones and the East India Trading Company.

One of my biggest problems with Pirates 2 was the way Jack was reduced to a guy does nothing but a lot of running and flailing. If the previous movie was primarily about Captain Jack Sparrow running then this third one is all about Jack having meetings. It’s the first thing Sparrow does when he’s resurrected, and once he gets going he just can’t seem to stop. He holds meetings with himself, meetings with his enemies, meetings with his women, meetings with his crew, and if there’s a fourth film, I fully expect him to install an Office Space style conference room in the bowels of the Black Pearl. Worse, none of it means anything. The audience knows it and the characters inside the film know it. The first three fourths of the film is firmly focused on major characters getting together in rooms to lie to one another. They reach accords which both sides realize neither side is going to keep, so they turn around and make conflicting accords with other characters who also realize that no one is going to do anything they say. After awhile the film turns into one big, knotted mess of crosses, double crosses, triple crosses, quadruple crosses and double quadruple crosses. You’ve got to wonder why anyone even bothers talking, when both sides know that whatever the other has to say is almost certainly a complete fabrication. What’s the point? Aren’t these supposed to be pirates? Shut up and stab somebody. Too much of the film is wasted on mindless negotiating that goes nowhere and serves only to turn the plot into one confused, nearly incomprehensible mess. At World’s End could easily have turned into one long, ocean-faring, conference nightmare except for one thing: His name is Geoffrey Rush.

Pirates 3 proves just how important Captain Barbossa is to this franchise. We’ve all spent so much time fawning over Depp, that Geoffrey Rush’s consistently brilliant performance as the growling Barbossa has been almost completely overlooked. But Captain Barbossa is, and always has been the only real pirate in these movies. Sparrow is a clown, a wannabe-rock-star turned pirate. Barbossa is a mean, bitter, robbing and killing, leader of men sonofabitch. I don’t mean to demean what Depp does, the character of Jack Sparrow is brilliant, but he works better when Barbossa is there to lend the movie gravitas while Depp prances around the deck like a puppet with his strings cut. Without Barbossa, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest felt lost, light-headed, and silly. With Rush back in for an entire movie, Pirates 3 is able to survive the script problems that weighed the previous movie down with great character chemistry.

Chemistry problems solved, the returning cast is able to hold the movie’s poorly written non-action scenes together through sheer force of will, making it easier to simply sit back and enjoy the cannon fire when it happens. There may not be as much of it in At World’s End as in the second movie, but what’s there is more satisfying. Swordfights and rope swings and broadsides are back front and center. Gone is the underwater beastie that terrorized the second film like the Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man stomping New York, and in its place is swashbuckling and gunfire. The wind howls and the ships rock, and while Pirates 3 intentionally passes up an opportunities for even bigger, ship on ship action, it’s fun as a purely action experience.

I’ve nearly made it through my entire At World’s End review without mentioning Keith Richards. If you’re wondering why, it’s because he doesn’t really matter. He’s only a cameo, but people seem to care about what he’s doing in the movie, so here’s your answer: He plays a crusty old uber-pirate and he’s damned good at it. No doubt he’d have been less good in larger doses, but in his small cameo part as the ultimate scallywag I’m pleasantly surprised to say that Keith Richards is flat out awesome. For once, stunt casting pays off.

There’s already talk of making a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and while I think this one is a fairly adequate entry into the series, it’s also pretty clear that the concept is running out of gas. The return of Barbossa injects some much needed life back into Pirates, but new characters like Chow Yun-Fat’s Shanghai pirate lord Sao Feng never pan out. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End finishes with a satisfactory ending for each of the film’s primary characters, and no matter how much money the movie makes, this seems like the perfect time to let this world sail off into the sunset. The franchise’s legions of fans will undoubtedly have a great time watching Captain Jack’s Bogus Journey, but let this be where it stops.

Tell us what you think about Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End when you see it.

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kewlbeans
September 24, 2008 at 03:39

Hello earthlings,

I am your leader telling you that it's just a movie who the @#$! cares anyway? Oh yeah and i found it kinda confusing. Oh and who the hell is Barbossa? Is he the old dude that just like grumbles?

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Leesaps
May 29, 2008 at 18:54

Pirates of The Caribbean was wonderful. It had fabulous momentum. It felt like one was on the journey going faster and faster. They HAVE to make a Pirates IV with most of the characters. Sparrow, Mr. Gibbs, Barbosa and the crew of the Black Pearl must be in IV, Elizabeth, Will, Bootstrap must have a part that will mesh all together, but the writers, director and producers will find a brillant way of putting another excellent entertainment movie together. I have faith in them. With all the problems in the world and all the bad movies Pirates is the entertainment king and that is what we need to get away from the real world and go on an adventure that, entertains us, and keeps us wanting more of the characters. This movie could go on for a long time or end with one more, but Walt Disney would be proud of this movie. It is made in the way it should have been made to be called a Disney movie. Keep Walt and Jack sparrow and his gang alive.

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Sam
May 4, 2008 at 22:22

THANK YOU SO MUCH.
Captain Jack Sparrow is all too popular and completely overrated- sure, he's funny and lends some light-heartedness to what should be a pretty dark plot, but no joke: BARBOSSA RULES ALL.
Barbossa is twice the pirate Jack will ever be, and I'm tired of every PotC thing (poster/picture/joke/anysortofpromotionalthing) being about him.

Geoffrey Rush FTW.

And I'm torn about the possibility of movie 4. I want so desperately to see Barbossa and Jack face off over the fountain of youth, but I know deep down that it would be like Bilbo said: butter spread over too much bread.

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Chloe
May 3, 2008 at 17:31

HEY, DUDE, STOP MAKING FUN OF OUR CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW! IF YOU LIKE GEOFFREY RUSH, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF! OTHERS LIKE JOHNNY DEPP AND CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW!

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j-bird
September 18, 2007 at 23:37

barbossa, best part for damn certain

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bec
July 6, 2007 at 18:38

Hugely disappointing in that I could not understand and follow what anything was about! Nothing made sense and tonight I feel I['ve wasted my time and money. Yes, great action but sitting there for three hours trying to work out what was what left me totally drained of energies! Would have surely been a great film if it was: 1. shorter, 2. Had an easier storyline for those that really wanted to see a great film who have not seen the previous films.

Final verdict: don't go if you have not seen previous films!

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Isobel
July 1, 2007 at 21:10

okay, they can't just leave Will as captain of the dutchman! i know he has to be and there always must be a captain and all that stuff, but seriously, poor Elizabeth! (and Will!) they can only be together ONE DAY every TEN YEARS?!?! that's just to sad to leave un delt with. i know there's really nothing that can be done, but they have to make another movie just to fix that. they'll think of something! but rumors say that the next movie will only be about Jack! even if it is, Will and Elizabeth have got to be in it at least a little bit, right? so maybe in the little bits of the film that there in, they will end up with a much happier ending. cause what happened you can't even consider a proper ending!! i mean they're married! i really really REALLY hope they'll make a new movie just cause of them. it is absolutley unbarable to imagine them living the fate they have been given. stupid davy jones. it all his fault. oh why did he have to stab Will? i hate him. but i love the idea of Elizabeth and Will together. they CANNOT let the series end the way this last movie did. no. i actually cried at that part in the movie. :(
too sad.

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Natasha
June 29, 2007 at 22:16

To "wire," just because you did not actually see them, as you so lovely put it, having "xxx" on screen, does not mean they didn't. Did you miss the whole romance action at the end on the island before Will left?

Oh, and rumors have it that they're almost positive on a fourth film. Disney is waiting awhile (until 2010-ish) to do so though. Which is a smart move; don't want to everything in all at once. Also, the film will be mostly all about Jack, and rumors say Will and Elizabeth won't even be in it.

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wire
June 25, 2007 at 12:57

how can will turner and elizabeth swan have a baby when will turner has gone pirating for 10 years? they din even have xxx? no sense here?

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kitty
June 23, 2007 at 09:53

i personally thought at world's end was awesome! i have to say though, the first is the best then the 3rd and lastly the 2nd (i think the second dragged on a bit - not the third). in AWE i loved how they all double crossed each other and who can blame them? they are pirates. so what if it was a little confusing, it all got sorted out in the end.

i'm not sure about this, but a friend told me that that pirate song that kid sang at the beginning of the movie talked about the whole movie? is that true? i'd really like to know what it says.

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POTC
June 21, 2007 at 16:20

I think the movie was almost perfect...only the end of Will and Elizabeth was desapinting and honestly i think Disney will make the next movies because everyone on the internet and the actores too are asking for next movies and its true that POTC gave a lot of money to the Disney comp. and if they make the next movies.... they will get a lot of money (more that they earned with the 3 chaps). I think the Will and Elizabeth story its incompleted and theres something miss...the end of this characters were too desapointing and if there will be another films i hope theyre story get a better solution and a brilliant end (not like they gave to them in the 3rd)

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Tayler
June 21, 2007 at 11:21

I honestly dont see the point of you all criticizing eachothers opinions. haha i mean seriously,

some of you think the third one was bad some of you think it was amazing some of you disagree and some of you agree its the way life goes, people have their opinions, so do you, get over it and stop criticizing someone just because they have their opinion about the movie.

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No
June 17, 2007 at 19:06

In all actuality, these movies would be so much better if they hadn't tried to force so much into the third installment. With all of the different plotlines and characters they could have made THREE MORE movies out of just the third one itself. And what's more, they would have been three GOOD movies that one could actually FOLLOW, as opposed to one jumbled mess of humor and fantasy. Come on--there isn't a single one of you who could honestly say they weren't even slightly confused at any point in the movie (eliminating those who read spoilers beforehand, mind you.) This film had so much amazing potential... it's a bit dissapointing to see what was done with it.

(By the way--if they actually attempt to make a fourth movie, it would be so corporate I wouldn't even know what to DO with myself.)

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Jack
June 15, 2007 at 00:06

The Pirates Trilogy are definitely the 3 greatest movies in like the past 30 years. Anyone who says that these movies are not good especially at worlds end is soft in the head and should try and make something better

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That Person
June 6, 2007 at 00:15

Please. I love this movie. And did anyone see the extra seen at the end of the creits????
I hope there is a fourth.
And Elizapeth Turner Has to stay there because..
if you havent seen the movie dont look down

of course will has gone to surve his 10 years and left Mrs. Turner behind but and the extra seen they show her standing on the ege of the cliff with her son waiting for Will to arrive. Then when he shows up it stops. I hope they make one with the Turner Family and Jack with a new adventure in the 4th movie!!!!
That would be awesome!

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dee dee
June 4, 2007 at 06:58

I totally agree with Reaper and Summer178! I did need to see the movie a second time to truly appreciate all the movie had to offer and I look forward to seeing it again in the theater a third time! i did enjoy all of the subtle movie references throughout the series (sea turtles anyone?). i would certainly enjoy watching more pirates movies in the near future! just as long as there are not any kids in the movie or portray Elizabeth as a mother. that would ruin it for me.

keep a weather eye on the horizion!

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smh31
June 3, 2007 at 23:30

i thought that they jammed all the information together and rushed it altogether into one movie. the plot should have been a little simpler and easier to understand but all in all it was great and fun to watch. i wouldnt mind watching another one

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sarah
June 3, 2007 at 23:30

I LOVED THE HUMOUR IN THIS MOVIE. I loved how they used the same sort of humour in the last movies and linked it to this one like when they all pulled out their guns - last time wasnt it with the swords or sumthin? well anywaz i LOVEEED the funniness of it.

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Jim Wright
June 3, 2007 at 23:30

It looks tight, but I'm the only one in my family that likes Pirates (and considers them real) so I can't go.

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aerial beard
June 3, 2007 at 13:15

this movie i thawt was the best movie out of the 3 movies every 1 says its 2 long and to confusing well if theres more movies in a pack of them u should refresh your mind its good to see other movies u shouldnt be so dumb as to no to do it i love this movie and the action was just great and it was very long which i thaught was the best part so if they make a fourth one they should kepp going on with these movies no matter what the critics say every one here in kenosha wisconsin loved it and the fans are what matter!!!!! ive rembered evry line spoken in the second movie and i hope to do it in the 3rd and 4th and 5th and 6th and 7th and 8th and 9th and keep on going!!!
sincerely,
your biggest fan
aerial beard of kenosha

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someone
June 3, 2007 at 09:36

well i loved the movie BUT it was too confusin and i had 4gotten wat happened in the last movie so it was hard to understand. And i dont really like the fact that will and elizabeth are together and 'make' a baby just before will leaves for his ship for TEN YEARS. i would WAIT until he cums back - THINK about the baby not seeing his father all that time and elizabeth havin to give birth alone HELLOOOO

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summer178
June 3, 2007 at 09:36

why did will and elizabeth have to have a baby any way???? they should have just let it be the way it was and not bring a little kid into the movie!!!!!!!! now they have to make a whole story on that kid and make elizabeth a more motherly image. stay as singles, gosh - the movie wud seem much more adventurous- seeing as they havent aged at all why spoil it with a 'mother-father' 'wife-husband' sort of life

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Billy bob oswald III
June 3, 2007 at 09:34

I agree with the pros of the monkey, its obviously a highly qualified actor and I'd like to see it have a starring role in another film, but I believe the next film he is entered in he should be equalled out with the other actors because he out-did the other actors. I think he probably also has a high ladies appeal as he has a stunning physique and its monkey like attributes give him a slightly rugged appeal! I hope you all trust in what I say and my best wishes go to him in his future acting career

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POTC FAN
June 2, 2007 at 16:46

To Take what ya can give nothing back: I think that you're mistaking with something. You know that he now took the place of Davy Jones. So, like Davy Jones, he can go on earth every ten years. So, I think that he comes to visit Elizabeth and his son and that, after, he must leave them again for another ten years.

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Reaper
June 2, 2007 at 16:46

First off, I know it's rather obvious, but this is the third part of the movies. Yeah, that's right. And if someone goes to see the third part, I'm assuming that they've seen the first and the second. And also, I assume that if someone saw the first two and was motivated to see the third, they liked the first two. And as one who has seen all three, I find it nearly impossible to not like the third. Sure, it confused me a bit, a lot of twists in the plot, a lot of questions raised perhaps, a lot of material squeezed in in three hours. But I think the movie was brilliant all the same. It's not about the battles, it's not about sword fights or the ramblings of Sparrow. The central idea of the films is the different perspectives of a pirates' way of life. Each character in the movie fills a certain role - the drunk pirate, the genuine pirate, the pirate queen, the pirate in conflict with his nature etc. They all share one thing - betrayal, trickery - that's what being a pirate is all about. So, of course, the movie was complicated and confusing, because it brought on all of this at once, after the first two films were 50% the clown tricks of Sparrow and some pirate fantasy. I totally agree with InLoveThie Trilogy about Will Turner's development. Truly someone who saw what the creators of the film wanted to share with the audience. Unfortunately, 50% of the audience members just liked the monkey better. Oh and if you've seen this movie and didn't like it, didn't find anything to like about it or didn't find anything better to do than just criticize it afterwards... then it's truly 3 wasted hours of your life.

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