Arrrrr, matey!
Just saw Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. As you may know, if there’s one fact about third parts in a trilogy, it’s that they usually suck. So how does AWE fare compared to previous disappointments like The Godfather Part III, The Matrix Reloaded and the recent Spidey 3? Not bad, actually. I enjoyed it more than Dead Man’s Chest, and the almost three hour running time virtually flew by. Not that the film isn’t without its problems, of course.
SPOILERS FOLLOW
AWE opens with the dark (for a Disney film) scene of several pirates and pirate sympathisers being hung, including a young boy. Rather than following on directly from the end of part two, the plot begins with a more mysterious opening a la Return of the Jedi, with the familiar characters slowly brought together as their scheme to unite the pirates and rescue Captain Jack Sparrow is revealed. We also meet Chow Yun-Fat’s pirate Captain, the only major new character of note. It takes a while before we see Captain Jack again and the sequence with him trapped in Davy Jones’s locker features such surreal images as a crew full of Jacks and a boat being moved by an army of crabs.
Once Jack is rescued, the movie settles into a series of double-crosses as allegiances constantly shift, though it still managed to hold my interest while we waited for the promised big finale. Elizabeth finally gets to fulfil her dream of becoming a pirate after Yun-Fat’s character rather bizarrely tries to rape her and then decides to make her a captain as his dying wish. The highlight of the middle section is finally getting to meet Captain Jack’s father, played amusingly by the original inspiration for the character, Keith Richards.
Once the pirate ships all gather to face the Flying Dutchman and the East India Trading Company we’re prepared for the mother of all battles. In fact, it all comes down to two ship battling in a whirlpool, but it’s still pretty impressive. Tia Dalma (the alluring Naomie Harris) also turns out to be a vengeful goddess, but she doesn’t do much more than turn into the Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and start a storm.
The final fate of the characters is fairly predictable, with most of them ending up in the same situation they were prior to the first film. The exception is Will and Elizabeth Turner, who have to be separated for 10 years. I forgot to stay after the end credits, but the scene at the very end reveals whether Elizabeth waits faithfully for him to return and if she has company.
Nearly all the actors do a good job. Johnny Depp’s comedy lines are closer to the quality of the first movie than the second, which is a good thing. Legolas and Natalie Portman-lite are still rather bland (Keira Knightley gets to utter a not very rousing speech in the final act) but at least the conclusion gives their characters a little more depth. It’s great to have Geoffrey Rush back as a major character, showing the more heroic side to Barbossa. Bill Nighy remains impressive as Davy Jones and gets to show more emotion this time, revealing the man behind the monster. One of the joys of the trilogy is how even the minor characters get their moments to shine, such as the comedy duo of Lee Arenberg and Mackenzie Crook.
ILM’s visuals continue to amaze, especially with the crew of the Flying Dutchman. The action is a little less frenetic than in the last film, making it somewhat easier to tell what is going on.
Overall, it’s a fitting end to the trilogy. If the Pirates films have a problem, it’s that they never really decided whether they wanted to be blockbuster nonsense with a Monty Pythonesque sense of humour or epic adventures. In the end, they’re a little of both (a good example is the ludicrous wedding of Will and Elizabeth in the middle of a life and death battle) and while I don’t think it will go down as one of the great movie trilogies, it’s certainly been a lot of fun.
SPOILERS FOLLOW
AWE opens with the dark (for a Disney film) scene of several pirates and pirate sympathisers being hung, including a young boy. Rather than following on directly from the end of part two, the plot begins with a more mysterious opening a la Return of the Jedi, with the familiar characters slowly brought together as their scheme to unite the pirates and rescue Captain Jack Sparrow is revealed. We also meet Chow Yun-Fat’s pirate Captain, the only major new character of note. It takes a while before we see Captain Jack again and the sequence with him trapped in Davy Jones’s locker features such surreal images as a crew full of Jacks and a boat being moved by an army of crabs.
Once Jack is rescued, the movie settles into a series of double-crosses as allegiances constantly shift, though it still managed to hold my interest while we waited for the promised big finale. Elizabeth finally gets to fulfil her dream of becoming a pirate after Yun-Fat’s character rather bizarrely tries to rape her and then decides to make her a captain as his dying wish. The highlight of the middle section is finally getting to meet Captain Jack’s father, played amusingly by the original inspiration for the character, Keith Richards.
Once the pirate ships all gather to face the Flying Dutchman and the East India Trading Company we’re prepared for the mother of all battles. In fact, it all comes down to two ship battling in a whirlpool, but it’s still pretty impressive. Tia Dalma (the alluring Naomie Harris) also turns out to be a vengeful goddess, but she doesn’t do much more than turn into the Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and start a storm.
The final fate of the characters is fairly predictable, with most of them ending up in the same situation they were prior to the first film. The exception is Will and Elizabeth Turner, who have to be separated for 10 years. I forgot to stay after the end credits, but the scene at the very end reveals whether Elizabeth waits faithfully for him to return and if she has company.
Nearly all the actors do a good job. Johnny Depp’s comedy lines are closer to the quality of the first movie than the second, which is a good thing. Legolas and Natalie Portman-lite are still rather bland (Keira Knightley gets to utter a not very rousing speech in the final act) but at least the conclusion gives their characters a little more depth. It’s great to have Geoffrey Rush back as a major character, showing the more heroic side to Barbossa. Bill Nighy remains impressive as Davy Jones and gets to show more emotion this time, revealing the man behind the monster. One of the joys of the trilogy is how even the minor characters get their moments to shine, such as the comedy duo of Lee Arenberg and Mackenzie Crook.
ILM’s visuals continue to amaze, especially with the crew of the Flying Dutchman. The action is a little less frenetic than in the last film, making it somewhat easier to tell what is going on.
Overall, it’s a fitting end to the trilogy. If the Pirates films have a problem, it’s that they never really decided whether they wanted to be blockbuster nonsense with a Monty Pythonesque sense of humour or epic adventures. In the end, they’re a little of both (a good example is the ludicrous wedding of Will and Elizabeth in the middle of a life and death battle) and while I don’t think it will go down as one of the great movie trilogies, it’s certainly been a lot of fun.
posted by A.S. McDermott at 4:12 PM
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