With the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End on this Memorial Day weekend, we have what some may say is the continuation of the Holy Trinity of summer movies.  This was the third follow-up from an incredibly popular movie franchise this season.  It started off with a bang (at least for this one reviewer) with Spider-Man 3, and then kind of flattened a little with Shrek the Third, and for some (namely other people) will finish with Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.  One could say it is the Trinity, except that there will be further unoriginal works with the other sequels coming out this summer—some of them also the third in their franchise. 

But using the word Trinity with this particular film is somewhat inappropriate—there is really not much holy about World’s End.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have the same take on “unoriginal” films as many others do.  In fact, I like the return of quality characters.  The last James Bond movie was among the best.  I liked the last Spider-Man, and I could name others.  I had hoped for the same thing from POTC: At World’s End; however, instead of a “religious” experience, one that I could fully enjoy and be entertained by, I was so bored that I almost fell asleep at times.  POTC: At World’s End may be the biggest disappointment of the summer season.  I can’t say that for certain yet as the season is just underway.  But it is hard to imagine a bigger letdown.

There are many things about an action movie I enjoy. I enjoy the action, for instance (!).  But I also enjoy a great story being told by great craftsmen, whether those craftsmen are the directors of production or quality actors.  Some of the things I look for in a film can be lacking, as long as the story flows and I get something out of it.  POTC: At World’s End falls flat in a number of areas.

Johnny Depp is back—and you have to realize, Johnny Depp is one of my favorite actors on the planet.  I actually commented in my first review of Pirates of the Caribbean several years ago that Johnny Depp portrayed every pirate I ever imagined as a child. Imagine how impressed I was when I found out that Johnny Depp’s website used that quote! But of all of the portrayals of Captain Jack Sparrow, this is the flattest and least entertaining.  The dialog is also not nearly up to par with the other films.  But I could easily say the same thing about virtually every other character in this movie based on the acting we see, the direction provided, and the script itself. 

Another disappointing aspect of POTC: At World’s End is that there is a lot of untold story between the last film and this one.  True, this is something films of this nature always suffer from. But, it is possible to create continuity of story without losing the audience.  I and the others with me (always good to have friends along as impartial judges) found ourselves lost at times trying to figure everything out.  We simply couldn’t follow the story.  It was one of the things that made the movie boring for each person in my group.  The story jumps from one character to another with so much dialogue that it is simply impossible to follow along.  Those who have been friends and lovers in the past now have confusing roles because of the mixed messages on the screen.  Those who were ghosts now seem to be human, and those who were human now appear as ghosts. And to complicate things worse, some characters flow back and forth between human and ghost with the viewer never having any idea about what is going to happen.  Simply put, there is so much character involvement—not development, but involvement—from the numerous cast members and characters that the story simply doesn’t flow.

The only area I was very pleased with was with the special effects.  There is one final battle scene where an officer walks down the stairs of his command onto the deck of his ship as it is being blown to smithereens.  I have to say, the effects in this scene alone almost make the movie worth the price of admission.  It is one of the most beautiful scenes of destruction I have ever seen in a movie.  In fact, virtually all of the special effects are up to par and beyond what one would expect from a Pirates of the Caribbean film.

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