Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End - Page 2

With the third film, director Gore Verbinski and screenwriters Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio decided to give us the Great American Dream Meal – every character, every plot point, every thing melting into the others until what was presented was a hunk of chicken flavored green bean cheese thing with hints of Jell-o and mashed potato. Many critics have complained that the plot twists (everyone sort of double-crosses everyone else in this thing) were hard to follow and were confused which makes me think that most film critics are stupid – it isn’t hard to follow, just hard to swallow.

Highlights of the film include more of Davy Jones, Jack Sparrow caught in a Beckett-like hell with multiple versions of himself, a marriage ceremony during the biggest sword and pistol fight between two warring ships that was just cool as hell, and a flaming monkey. The rest of it is loud and frenetic with the standard Bruckheimer score (that could be from Pirates or The Rock or even Con-Air - what’s the difference?) booming underneath and swordfights and pistols blazing and stunts and just a whole plateful of kickass action movie mush.

That said, I had a great time. Unlike those who may take going to see films about pirates or Jedi knights or Hobbits way too seriously, I have a simple set of expectations for a movie like PotC: At World’s End and it exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations.

If you want a brilliant film with superior acting and a high artistic threshold, go see Notes on a Scandal or Little Children. But for those days when what you crave is a whole bunch of greasy, cheesy food piled high on a plastic plate for eight bucks, this theme park ride satisfies.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Director: Gore Verbinski
Screeplay: Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio
Featuring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Kiera Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Your Brother, A Guy from Washington State, and Chef Boyardee

Article Author: Don Hall

Don Hall is the Founding Director of Chicago's pernicious Off Loop theater company, WNEP Theater and is an actor, director, writer and teacher in Chicago. He also is the Events Coordinator for Chicago Public Radio and the Audience Services Manager …

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