The View Looks Better 'At World's End'

The Good: Let's start by saying that Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is better than the second movie (which I remember felt like watching a 225 million dollar Looney Tunes cartoon, with various characters serving the role of Wile E. Coyote chasing the Road Runner, i.e. Capt. Jack Sparrow, around several islands for a few solid hours of my time). The stakes are a bit higher, the visuals are somewhat bolder, and the characters are a tad deeper. Simply put, there are several moments, especially during the final half hour of the movie, that I felt the fun and excitement returning to the Pirates franchise. And, in my opinion, very few movies have ever come close to the CG effects of the Davy Jones character's face. Just amazing.

The Bad: Let's continue by saying that At World's End is nowhere near as good as the original and, at times, is downright horrendous and laughable. It would have been so very simple during the editing process to leave about 25-35 minutes of footage on the cutting room floor, particularly footage that included torturous sequences regarding Captain Jack's multiple personalities. There were moments where I felt like I was watching Eternal Sunshine of the Pirate's Mind. It's sloppy editing and pacing that really kills the flow of an already uber-complicated story, which brings me to the second major problem of the movie. I'm all for beefing up the plot of a movie with various dramatic twists and turns, but if you twist and turn every few minutes you just end up leaving the audience dizzy.

The Verdict: Like a drunken pirate, At World's End stumbles far too often to be considered a great movie (or maybe even a good one), but you can't help but feel like the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow and Company made for an overall fun ride while they lasted.

The Grade: B-