Pirates 3: At World's End

I would have written this earlier today, after getting home from the midnight show around 5am, but I'm not as young as I used to be, so I just went straight to bed. Pathetic, I know...what can you do?

And the review is...glowingly positive. Seems a change of pace after I bashed the previous two, but honestly, this one doesn't suffer from the problems of its predecessors. Pirates 3 is compelling where the first two are silly, moving where the others are cheesy, and funny where the first two are annoying. And it was really funny; I need to see it again without so many people around so I can hear what was said after some of the better moments. A few of the gags are a bit too easy and lowbrow; a surprising quantity of dick jokes for a Disney movie. There are some great bits with Jack the Monkey; I won't spill them here.

Everything that worked in the first two movies still works here, sometimes even better than before. And while the consensus of early news reviews is focused on how confusing and confounded the many plots and subplots are, I had no problem following the entire story all the way through. And on the second one, it did seem a bit over-convoluted to me, needlessly so. This is even more complex, yet I was never left wondering what was going on. It's possible that, having seen the second one just a few days ago, the plots and relationships were fresh in my mind and that made it easier to follow, but I believe, in addition to my awareness, the filmmakers actually did a better job of telling this story. They made everyone's motivations clear, and they edit the movie together in such a way that I was never left waiting to get back to another part of the story. It all makes sense together, as complex as it is, and I don't feel they succeeded in doing this for the previous two films.

There are a couple things I wasn't entirely sure about, and a few other things that could have been done better, but nothing that detracts from the overall experience. With the first two, I was sitting there thinking "Well that's dumb, but oh well" about every ten minutes. Didn't happen this time; they were minor elements. I won't say what because I don't want to spoil anything.

The aspects I admire in the first two were even stronger here. The visual effects are stunning, the images grandiose and astonishing. Even the simple, non-action sequences were quite beautiful to gaze at. Speaking of beautiful to gaze at, Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom...what can I say; they're more gorgeous than ever, especially when they share the screen. And the best thing about the first two movies...Johnny Depp, the actor, the performer, the movie star...he really turns it up here. Again, I wish to spoil nothing, but in one major sequence, and several minor ones, he gives the most amazing series of performances. Nobody can do what he does with such a perfect mix of charm, bravado, and silliness. As good as he was before, he is that much better here. He continues to be a unique treasure in the world of film, and one of my personal favorites.

The rest of the regular cast are just as good as ever; Geoffrey Rush in particular seems to be having a grand old time. His delivery is so distinctive and precise; he really sets the tone for most of the film. Yes, Keith Richards has a cameo. It did seem to fit the story and serve a small purpose, instead of simply being a casting stunt, but the crowd in the theater kept murmuring the whole time he was on screen, so I can't say for sure how well it worked.

The story, as the third of a trilogy, does a good job of bringing it all back around in a natural way. Nothing feels forced like the other two, as if something needed to happen to push the story toward the next sequence, even if it comes out of nowhere. Everything here feels motivated, and true, right down to the way each character ends up once the movie is over. I've heard it said there are big surprises regarding which characters are killed off, and when, and how, but I wouldn't say I was surprised by any of them. Like I said, it's organic, not forced, and it works for the story. Some fans may be disappointed by the death of certain characters, others may be glad to see them go, but all in all, I think the filmmakers did what needed to be done.

Not than anyone really needs encouragement, if they already want to see this movie, but I think it's definitely worth seeing. If you haven't seen the other two, you probably won't have a clue what's going on, but if you don't like the other two, you could still be impressed by At World's End, as I was, and did not expect to be. So forget about the box office, and just go see a good movie. For me, that's all it's ever truly about.