My Movie Review on Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End · 8:40pm Jul 9th, 2019
Ahoy, mateys!
This be yer old film and TV show buccaneer here with another word-filled treasure to show ye.
And today, following me latest film review, I be here to give ye sea dogs an analysis of "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End".
Here be the rundown of it *clears throat*:
Following the events of "Dead Man's Chest", Lord Cutler Beckett has been ruthlessly ruling the seven seas in a conquest to wipe out every pirate into extinction. All of it with a particular thanks to having control over the heart of Davy Jones and making him do everything he tells him to do.
Intent on ending Beckett and Jones's tyranny, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, and Hector Barbossa (who somehow returned in the last film) must travel to the end of the world and free Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones' Locker, and unite every Pirate Lord for a conference to figure out how to stop Jones and Beckett.
Along the way, several trials, secrets, and betrayals come to test the love of Will and Elizabeth; and a gigantic secret is revealed in the form of a voodoo witch named Tia Dalma.
Before I get into the large amount of positives that this movie has, I'd like to start with the film's only negatives. It has a rather mixed reputation anyway, so I figured "Why not?".
Admittedly, the film seemed a little too overbalanced with betrayals and bargainings. As a matter of fact, it seemed to be to where it could make one wonder "When is it going to relax? Isn't once or twice enough?"
The other problem was that there were a couple of rather gross moments, an example coming from how Davy Jones got the key to the chest containing his heart back from Beckett's second-in-command, Mr. Mercer.
Other than those rather small negatives, though...
This was a pretty stellar film and sequel.
The story by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio, and the direction by Gore Verbinski, made this movie sprightly like that of the last two movies. Similar to the second film, the trio were able to give a good balance between humorously funny and dark & dramatic. While the humor aspect certainly wasn't the most recurring, there was still plenty of comedic gags that were truly hilarious. An emotional resonance also didn't cease to make itself known, as there were tons of moments that can make one's heartstrings feel tugged.
The film's final act, particularly when the Black Pearl and Flying Dutchman are going round and round in the whirlpool, was what I thought to be the film's most accomplished moment. It literally felt as if the team was able to accomplish something no one had done before, which was to bring new life to whirlpool moments.
The music by Hans Zimmer was still as excellent as always. He was still able to give the music a memorable and emotional flavor, with every moment being so ear-catchingly astounding that you can't ignore the power it packs.
And finally, the performances from the ensemble cast, and the characters and character development, were still as awesome as ever.
Like the last two films, Johnny Depp and his character of Jack Sparrow were as multidimensional, unpredictable, and funny as ever. Through much of the film, Depp was able to light himself through the film's dark direction and script like a candle, providing enough humor and lightheartedness for audiences to relax with, while also giving a continual sense of mental conflict. Sparrow's character development, which consists of his conflicts, where his loyalties lie, and what he desires, were totally spot-on.
Bill Nighy and his character of Davy Jones were likewise continually intriguing. Even though he may have gotten overshadowed by some of the other characters, Davy Jones still stood out as one of the franchise's most three-dimensional of villains, particularly because of his desire to not be controlled by Beckett and the emotions caused by his heart. Nighy also gave his character powerful feeling and sense of conflict throughout the film, each of which maintained the side of him that's extremely human.
But, perhaps the biggest character development of all comes from that of Elizabeth Swann. I loved her newly developed sense of nobility in the face of danger, not just for Will, but for others. Her development as a compassionate leader was also amazing. To boot, Keira Knightly gave what I believe to be her very best performance as the character to date.
As for the developments concerning the romance between Elizabeth and Will, they were as powerful as ever. I especially loved how, after all the betrayals and trust problems they had, their love for one another proved itself to overcome all problems and mistakes.
In conclusion, "At World's End" certainly isn't as good as "Curse of the Black Pearl" and "Dead Man's Chest", but it's still an astonishingly-done film, and might I add, an excellent conclusion to Will and Elizabeth's character arcs.
So, I rate "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" a complete 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.
As with the others, it sounds really good, and I will definitely watch it eventually!