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Arrr…Snore…Arrr [Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End] |
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Sunday, 15 July 2007 |
By Frederic Germay
 Who would have thought that a theme park attraction would have become the phenomenon that it is today? Thanks to "Curse of the Black Pearl," pirates have regained their status for the first time since "Treasure Island." In "Curse of the Black Pearl," what carried the film was not just its excellent plot, or marvelous visual effects, but the over-the-top, yet still believable character performances. Johnny Depp, in particular, won over critics and audiences alike with his slightly insane and kooky Jack Sparrow…oh sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow. Depp's incredibly original and mesmerizing performance even earned him an Academy Award Nomination, and the film went on to secure a position as one of the highest box-office grossing films in cinematic history.
When the sequel, "Dead Man's Chest," emerged last year, many critics were worried that this may turn into another "Matrix Reloaded." Thankfully "Dead Man's Chest" was almost as good as the original, and it broke box-office records once again. Although, the plot was quite all right, the character performances seemed to have gotten mellow, and critics were quick to point out that Jack Sparrow was not half as insane as in "Curse of the Black Pearl." The whole film was no longer a brand new experience and it lost much of the originality of the first film. Never the less, Depp was nominated for several awards, including a Golden Globe for his performance.
The third film in the "Pirates" saga, "At World's End" was quite a different experience from its predecessors. Unfortunately, in a very bad way. Don't get me wrong, Depp returned to the height of his game, proven especially in a scene where we get an inside glimpse into the madness of his mind. Even better, Geoffery Rush's Captain Barbossa makes a reappearance into the lucrative "Pirates" franchise. The action sequences are more than just visually impressive, and this film has pretty much secured an Academy Award nomination in that department.
However, the film would have been legions more enjoyable if I could just understand what was going on! Unlike the previous two films, the plot twists and turns and changes without a moment's notice. I often watch films with my rather inattentive and inpatient little brother, and I'm used to explaining to him every 20 minutes what exactly is going on. In this film, my brother turned to me and said, "Now what are they doing?" I just stared at the screen, dumbfounded, unable to decipher the haphazard plot.
I was able to understand some bits of the storyline, like the mission to rescue Jack, and the meeting of the brethren, something about a calypso…or was it a Capricorn…now my head is starting to hurt. Putting aside the incredibly evident plot incoherence, many aspects of the film are simply unnecessary. Certain fight sequences are prolonged far too long, and I still don't get the relevance of the Singapore Pirates. I suppose if I watched the film a couple times I might gather a better grasp of the plot, but movies shouldn't be that complicated. To make matters worse, certain characters like Calypso and Sao Feng have such thick accents, it is quite the miraculous feat to distinguish anything from their long-winded verbal noises.
Pushing 3 hours, this film is way too long and it has none of the epic awe that other great 3-hour films have had, like "Lord of the Rings," and "Titanic." However, many people just don't care about a good plot. If you just want a ramshackle ball of film candy, then "At World's End" certainly delivers. The only salvageable elements of this film are the brilliant, scene-stealing performances and visually impressive action sequences, and the rest is just dull and headache inducing. I give this movie a 6/10
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