The unfortunate disappearance of Captain Jack Sparrow into the lands of the dead to fulfill his debt to the monstrous Davy Jones is still fresh in our memories from the Dead Man’s Chest and so are those breathtaking action sequences on the islands and so was Johnny Depp in his most ravishing role as Captain Jack Sparrow. And here is Gore Verbinski’s third (and definitely not the final) installment of those meddlesome buccaneers from the Caribbean. This time, its bigger, LENGTHIER, more convoluted and with a lot more characters. The action..... well, it doesn’t get better at high seas.
Plot/Plots**: The East India Company is determined now to get rid of all the pirates at sea and therefore, seeks information and assistance from their insiders for their purpose. Captain Barbossa, Elizabeth and William, together with the rest of the pirate crew set out to bring their beloved Captain Sparrow from the dead. Later, The elusive Brethren Court of 9 Pirate Lords meets in council to plan their defence strategy. An example of the outrageous one-liners by Sparrow during that meeting -
Barbossa: [at the pirate gathering] There’s not been a gathering like this in our lifetime."
Jack Sparrow: And I owe them all money."
what follows is the ultimate showdown between the Company, headed by The Flying Dutchman (Lord Beckett taking Davy Jones and his crew under his control) and the Pirates gang. Ofcourse, all this is mixed with a lot of confusion, parallel plots, multiple characters, joking around, debating pirate laws, reviving some unheard of pirate customs and legends, switching sides and coping with hallucinations (poor old confused Captain Jack) and everything else that Pirates would do other than simply, umm... looting a merchant ship!!
Yes, the movie has evolved, rather with some confusing twists and intricacies, but even with the convoluted plots, the movie fascinates with the performances, the costumes, the characterization, the irreverant but outrageous humour, the swashbuckling action and special effects that transcend you into this fantastic world. That essentially is the strength of not only this installment but of the Pirates franchise on the whole that its not about special effects and sword fights while jumping around. There is a strong plot and sometimes, a convoluted one that may or may not have logical elements but most would agree that they’re happy with it being a little illogical.
The special effects are astoundingly real..... from the Flying Dutchman rising from the seas, to half mutated beings fighting with humans, to cannon blasting sequences of real battles at sea and to the spectacular sets. Few characters die, others get revived, including Jack Sparrow and the mythical Calypso and William and Elizabeth unite forever during battle only to be separated by an unfortunate turn of fate. The story is wrapped up in a bookend fashion with just enough to extend the franchise to a few more swashbuckling adventures.
Performances: Johnny Depp is what this franchise virtually stands for. It is impossible to substitute him, his sillyness, his drunk behaviour, his ridiculous and quirky one-liners and his preposterous behaviour. A role that starts off late in this one but thereafter charms everybody in his own way. Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa has a commanding role and with his wicked and twisted voice, "The only way for a pirate to make a living these days is by betraying other pirates" - delivers a stunning performance. Bill Nighy as Davy Jones manages many transformations in his role with a lot of convincing and ease. Keira Knightley looks beautiful yet strikes hard as a woman pirate with her strong dialogue delivery and versatility. Orlando bloom looks at ease with his role now and that shows in his performance throughout. It is a delight to watch the 6 lead characters walking towards each other on an island in parlait prior to the war. It is truly a legendary seeming scene. *
Bottomline:** Verbinski drags the film a bit too much (by about 20 mins) mainly because he develops the plot intricately. But nevertheless, he adroitly delivers yet another exciting entertainer of the Pirates world with an intricate plot (sometimes convoluting), strongly built characters, great dialogues, witty humour, jaw dropping action and stunning visualry. Pirates of the Caribbean is a timeless action adventure franchise and even At World’s End, is worthy of it.
- 9.071 on a scale of 1-10.