Director: Gore Verbinski

Writer: Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio

Composer: Hans Zimmer

Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Kiera Knightley, Bill Nighy, Chow Yun-Fat and Geoffrey Rush

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is dead. Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) and the East India Trading Company now have control over the Flying Dutchman and its undead crew, and have set about executing every single pirate left in the world. The only hope for those that remain is to unite the last of the pirate lords and unleash the goddess of the sea herself, Calypso. One problem: Captain Jack was a pirate lord and, therefore, to bring him back, Elizabeth (Keira Knightly), Will (Orlando Bloom) and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) must travel to the end of the world and beyond, into the heart of Davy Jones’ Locker, and retrieve their dead friend. How will Jack feel reunited with the treacherous Elizabeth, who killed him? Can Will free his father from the curse of the Flying Dutchman and keep Elizabeth at the same time? And if Calypso is freed, will anyone remain strong enough to control her?

The third installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy is thoroughly entertaining, from start to finish, but sadly, far too long. I love long movies, but only if it’s justified – e.g., “The Lord of the Rings” or “Gandhi,” – but this film could have come in at two hours and have been just as good, if not better. So why the extra 45 minutes? Too much pomp? Too many uncalled-for visuals and lavish explosions? For one, they could have cut the unnecessary subplots, and the constant double crossing by all parties. It got so confusing, in the end I just gave up try to work out who was on what side and what they hoped to gain from it.

Herein lies the biggest fault with this movie: the plot. Too many things were rushed at the end, and too many plotlines never really resolved. By that I say that there were very shallow conclusions that stemmed from nothing. Why the mass armadas and the numerous pirate lords, since they did not seem to advance the story? The idea was great, but if one is going to attempt this, you must see these concepts through to the end, rather than throw it out there, do it sub par, and in the end, find a conclusion that didn’t really even need them in the first place.

In regards to the acting, mostly everything paid off. Kiera Knightly and Orlando Bloom were just as bearable as in the previous two, Capt. Barbossa and Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) were fantastic villains, as always, but Jack – to be honest, not as good as in the past. The scene-stealing Capt. Sparrow wasn’t that scene-stealing. Still, Capt. Sparrow on a bad day is still very fun to watch. If only the other pirate lords had followed suit. They lacked spice. The lords should be just as brilliant a character as Jack Sparrow or Barbossa. Instead, every one of them struggled to keep the least bit interesting and they all seemed to rely on costumes and make-up to carry their performance.

Which brings us to the eye candy. Visually this movie is gorgeous and cannot be faulted, because of everything ranging from the grandiose costumes to the lavish set of the pirate city to the walking animation that was the Flying Dutchman. Each area hits the bull’s-eye (maybe with Kiera Knightly’s comical Asian hat aside). However, visuals are not everything. While the two previous movies have had magnificent swashbuckling sword clashes, here we lack any meaty combat. Yes, there are “mass battles,” but those are against nobody foes. “The Curse of the Black Pearl” had numerous sword battles, especially between Jack Sparrow and Barbossa, and “Dead Man’s Chest” had a brilliantly coordinated three-way sword fight on top of a giant, moving wheel. So where was “At World’s End’s” glorious final showdown?

In the end, that lack is what made this movie good, rather than anything great. It had the feeling that the first initial ideas that came to the writers’ heads is what made it into the final product, rather than going back and revising and tweaking these ideas to really make the movie shine. It made “At World’s End” only lightly glow.

Best scene: The escape from World’s End. It was classic adventuring, from spectacular visuals to nail-biting suspense. Add to that the comedy value thrust into the fray, by all parties, and you have yourself a first-class action sequence. Wonderful!

Favorite performance: Geoffrey Rush’s Capt. Barbossa is scene-stealing. Treading the line between comic genius and heartless villain, he is always enjoyable and successful. He was just as good as in the first movie, and not even Capt. Jack can claim that.

Overall: Lacking in the comedy of the past movies, this is still a very thrilling ride. Easily the best of the recent “third installments” to arrive this year, it does come in too long, and lacks too few punches to justify the extreme length of the film.

Three Stars (out of five)

Oscar Nomination Chances: 80%

See it: Now

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action/adventure violence and some frightening images.

Running Time: 165 mins.

Tag Line: At the End of the World, the Adventure Begins!