Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

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Proceed with caution, especially if you haven’t watched the movie yet. Spoilers ahead.

I thought after watching Shrek the Third that my movie watching weekend couldn’t get better. But it just did!

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is everything that I’ve wanted from this movie franchise and more. The critics might bitch about the many subplots but I feel that it is these subplots that give life and excitement to the movie. How boring it would be if the focus was on only one or two stories with all the action and excitement swirling around.

Casting-wise, I couldn’t ask for more. Johnny Depp played Jack Sparrow to the hilt and the movie made sure Jack was amplified by creating numerous Jack Sparrows that figured in Jack’s imagination or conversation with himself. I couldn’t help but swoon over Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner.

Keira Knightly’s Elizabeth Swann provides a good role model to girls. Again, like the princesses in Shrek, Elizabeth is no pansy. She teams up with the amped-up Hector Barbossa of Geoffrey Rush to rescue Will from Sao Feng. She consistently wields power and even becomes the captain of Sao Feng’s ship, then the pirate king during the Brethren Court.

Having Chow Yun-Fat there was a bonus, even if his role was a brief one. And of course, there was Bill Nighy.

But guess who stole the show? Keith Richards only had a brief role but it’s one for the books. I am not a Rolling Stones fan but his playing Jack’s father brought to life and poked fun back at all the jokes the late night talk shows have made about his being ancient.

The special effects were top-notch, the fight sequences were well-staged, everything just meshed together. The most breathtaking scene was when the 6 of them were at that long stretch of sand, negotiating. That was just pretty to look at.

My favorite sequence was towards the end when the pirates were fighting the British royal navy and Will and Elizabeth asked Captain Barbossa to marry them and he does. While swashbuckling! That was way too cool, one of the coolest marriage scenes I have seen on film.

One thing I liked about this Pirates movie is it successfully captured the feel of Disneyland’s theme park ride. The new Pirates ride at Disneyland feels just like the start of the movie, with the darkness, the murky waters, the mist, the grills. Having gone on the ride and watched the movie made me a fan.

Another is that the movie made sure to include all nationalities. The diversity of the cast is admirable, and also ensures that there will be worldwide following. During the Brethren Court, almost all members of the human race was well-represented.

Still another cool element was adding that surprise scene at the end to tie up how Will and Elizabeth coped with not being together because he had to take on the duties of the Dutchman. Those behind the movie made sure the audience went through the credits before inserting the scene. That way, everyone, the cast and crew who worked on the movie for years, at least had the eyeball attention before they got to the surprise. Am thankful to one of the bloggers who posted the warning of waiting for everything to finish before leaving the theater. 80% of the audience was gone before the final scene rolled out. Too bad for them.

At World’s End adds another fantasy dimension to the new crop of fantasy movies. It’s an entertaining ride and watch and you don’t really expect it to have a point although it does.

When before I was a mere moviegoer, At World’s End made me a legitimate Pirates fan. Can’t wait to get on the Disneyland ride again.

All Pirates movies have open endings. Should everyone decide to sign on, then there’s is a whole lot of material to pursue. The adventure never ends.

***

Aside:

While watching the Brethren Court proceedings especially, I was amusingly reminded of the state of government in the Philippines. Using Pirates as a point of analogy, the politicos are comparable to the pirate captains. Every politico has their own ship and crew and pushes their own agenda and all they do is bicker and fight and not give in. I do hope, though, that there will eventual unity in the end.

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