|
|
|
"PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:
AT WORLD'S END" (PG-13)
"Pirates of the
Caribbean: At World's End" is meant solely for entertainment
By Mark Johnson
The magic of film suits several purposes.
Some films tell stories that capture and expand our imaginations. Some
films touch us spiritually or emotionally, or teach us lessons on life.
Other films educate us on a time and place that now exists only in
history books,. Then there are the films meant solely for entertainment.
If you are in search of the latter, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's
End will not disappoint you.
When we last left Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), he had been slain
by the Kraken and left for dead in Davy Jones Locker. The crew of
Sparrow's ship, the Black Pearl, has now started out on its voyage to
return Captain Jack to this world, led by his once nemesis Captain
Barbosa (Geoffrey Rush) and accompanied by star-crossed-lovers Will
Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley).
Using an ancient map and sailing halfway around the world, the crew
finally gets to its destination by plunging the ship upside down in
order to come out right side up in the netherworld. They find a very
hallucinogenic Jack who takes some convincing before he believes his
crew is actually there with him. Finally convinced, the crew sets off to
the simply named Shipwreck Cove, where the world's pirate lords have
decided to team up and fight against the East India Trading Company
before their pirate world meets its end. Meanwhile, there are several
subplot storylines that intersect somewhat convolutedly, including
Will's possible betrayal of his friends to rescue his father, Davy Jones
and his lost love, and, of course, Jack Sparrow's never-ending quest for
immortality. Savvy?
The sets, costumes, makeup, stunts, cast, score, and special effects in
this film are incredible. The final showdown between Jones and Sparrow
as their ships swirl in the eye of a whirlpool is visually stunning, and
the cameo appearance of Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards (on whom Johnny
Depp based the swagger of Jack Sparrow) as Jack's father is quite
entertaining.
The film, however (like the previous two), runs a little long and drags
in certain scenes. Yet if you can spare the time for the nearly
three-hour film, you will find the script extremely witty, the
characters immensely delightful, and the action sequences and special
effects breathtaking. My one piece of advice is to rewatch the first two
films before going to see At World's End, as there are a lot of inside
jokes based on the two prequels.
I would be shocked at Oscar time to see this film not nominated for
Special Effects, and a win is a strong possibility.
**/**** |
|
|
