Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: The World's End

*WARNING: Post contains Spoilers!*

I have to say that I was very happy with the third of the Pirates of the Caribbean films. It was a fitting end to the trilogy (if the studio chooses to end it here). The first Pirates of the Caribbean film was a classic; a great action adventure that really stood out when it was released. When the decision was made to turn it into a trilogy and film the next 2 films together (ala The Matrix Trilogy), a deep sense of dread came over me and considering what happened with the Matrix, I think it was well founded.

When the 2nd film came out (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest), my fears almost seem to come true. The film was in my humble opinion a big let down from the first one. As far as trilogies go, the middle is always the hardest one to tell and the hallmark of a great trilogy is often decided by how great the middle one is (The Godfather Part II, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Spiderman 2 etc...). Bad part twos often leave too much problems for the final chapter to fix.

But this film really does pull the trilogy back up the the fun and adventure of the first film. And in light of that, all the pieces fit into place, and thus the story thread running through all 3 films is very smooth. This also make watching the 2nd film a lot more enjoyable. Fingers cross on a special marathon screening of all 3 film together perhaps?

For this film itself, as I said early, it recaptures the swashbuckling adventure of the first POTC film and is very much watch-able on its own. All the story treads are tied up very well together and the twist and turns of the film are still surprising enough (well, some of them are but some are rather expected) to make you be on the edge of your seat.

The characters are rich and very well acted. Johnny Depp is excellent as usual as Captain Jack Sparrow and the return of Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa is a welcome addition to this film. The scenes between the two of them are really a great highlight in this film. Another great addition is Keith Richards who does a cameo appearance as Jack Sparrow's father. Keep a look out for that scene. It is really an awesome scene.

The fight scenes are excellent and much bigger and grander then in the first 2 films and the CGI work on this film is first rate. The story itself has a good blend of humour and drama to really get you caught up in it. However, a little problem that I have is the film does move at a very quick pace and sometimes leave you behind for a moment and doesn't give you time to catch up. But on a whole, it wasn't a big issue. The dialogue overall was good but sometimes it was delivered at breakneck speed and it really forces you to pay attention.

The overall plot of the film, however, isn't really played out as well as probably in the first film. I actually overheard some of the audience trying to work out what they had just watched after the show but honestly, I didn't have that problem and neither did any of the friends I went with. Could just be a minority.

And for anyone reading this before they watch the film, remember to stay until the end of the credits for a hidden scene. *BIG SPOILER ALERT: Highlight the empty space if you wish to read it* The child seen in the hidden scene is NOT the boy from the opening of the film but rather the son of Will and Elizabeth; who is waiting to see his father for the first time. I really enjoyed this film and it really closed the trilogy in a thoroughly satisfying way. I give it a 8.5/10.