Search - Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) on DVD

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 7/31/2022...

Johnny Depp silently rose up as the true star of this series, only to have Disney plunge into the sea for future installments of the series. A must watch though!

Edgar R. (edgarshoe) from CALEXICO, CA
Reviewed on 4/21/2010...

Does not live up to the first in my opinion, or even the 2nd, but got to love those characters. Mainly a character-driven series.

3 of 4 member(s) found this review helpful.

Dead Men Tell New Tales

Chris Pandolfi | Los Angeles, CA | 05/25/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The very end of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" was more like the end of a play's first act, after which the audience had to endure a nine month intermission. The second act--"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"--begins practically where the last film left off, in which Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) made an unexpected return after Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) was swallowed by the kraken. Not surprisingly, such a surprise ending got me all revved up for yet another round of swashbuckling fun, and I spent the year on pins and needles. If only this new film lived up to my expectations: while it is very entertaining, and while it is still worth recommending for sheer escapism, I'd be lying if I said that it matches the quality of the first two films.

Part of the problem is that everything about this film is simply too big. The number of new characters alone is quite distracting, especially since they all make important contributions to the story. The subplots are piled on top of each other, resulting in a film that's needlessly complicated and overly energized. I'd be hard pressed to give a decent synopsis, because in all honestly, I'm not sure I caught on to everything. From what I can gather, it seems that the instigator of this new story is Tia Dalma (Naomi Harris), the mysterious voodoo woman responsible for Barbossa's resurrection (which, in my opinion, was explained far too casually). Apparently, he's one of the nine pirate lords, and the time has come for them to join forces against the elusive (but undeniably evil) East India Trading Company, now under the control of the dastardly Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander).

But one of the lords--our beloved Captain Sparrow--remains lost, body and soul, in Davy Jones' Locker, meaning that Barbossa and regulars Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightly) and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) have to sail to the ends of the earth to find him. I mean this literally; they eventually spill over a waterfall that would put Niagara Falls to shame. But it seems this is the only way to reach the Locker, which is like a pirate's version of purgatory. We actually get to see this otherworldly realm during one of the film's most baffling scenes; Sparrow is in a surrealistic desert landscape, commanding the Black Pearl crewed by hallucinogenic clones of himself. This scene was constructed with an unwelcome mixture of comedy and pure weirdness, and I simply didn't understand the purpose of it. Was there really no other way to represent purgatory?

By the time Barbossa and the others come to the rescue, Witty Jack has become Funny Jack, which completely works against his character as established in the first film. He was introduced as a flamboyant conniver, undeniably charming and full of biting wit. However, despite a well-developed sense of humor, he was never reduced to pure comedy relief. I can't say the same in terms of "At World's End"; Jack Sparrow has become the main source of the film's humor, ready with slews of one-liners, a seemingly incurable urge to argue, and snappy retorts. I distinctly remember an unnecessary moment with his Good/Bad conscience, classically represented by miniature clones atop his shoulders. Why I remember this, I don't know; it added absolutely nothing to the story, save for a couple of humorous lines.

And then there are the hordes of subplots, all of which prove that every character has at least three hidden agendas. For one thing, the relationship between Will and Elizabeth is suffering: Elizabeth is forced to come clean about her role in Jack's demise; Will is still obsessed with rescuing his father (Stellan Skarsgard) from an eternity of servitude on the Flying Dutchman. Jack and Will fight for the severed, still-beating heart of Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) because, in one way or another, they'll both benefit from it being stabbed. Davy Jones, now under the control of Beckett, is both frightened and excited at the prospect of reuniting with Calypso, the sea goddess who broke his heart (literally) before taking on human form (whose form, I dare not say). Captain Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat)--one of the nine pirate lords--takes special interest in both Jack and Elizabeth. Tia Dalma's significance increases dramatically, albeit not in a way that's easily understood; by the time her true nature is revealed, one can't help but wonder what the point was.

Ultimately, it becomes an exhausting process of trying to figure out who's doing what to whom and why. Jack alone changes allegiances more times than I can remember, and each time, he proposes yet another intricate plan that everyone knows is only for his benefit. But that's too limiting; overall, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" is an overstuffed film, sure to disappoint--but not entirely let down--both new audiences and diehard fans of the first two films. Still, I'm giving it four stars because it delivers in some very key areas: the special effects are incredible; the basic story between Jack, Will, and Elizabeth is engaging; the action scenes are plentiful and frenetic; Hans Zimmer's score is robust and energetic. And yes, we even get what we've been promised from the very beginning: a special appearance by Keith Richards."

Very dissapointing

Michele Lyons | New York City | 10/31/2007

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I awaited the opening of this movie with great anticipation, and was extremely dissapointed when I saw it. Whatever happened to Disney giving movies a happy ending? This was anything but. Way, way too much was going on in the story, and there were far too many extraineous characters that served no purpose. The four main characters, (Will, Elizabeth,Norton and Sparrow) were at each other's throats. If fact Jack Sparrow, my personal favorite character, did not seem to have a part written for him at all. The best scenes were given to the risen Barbossa or to Elizabeth. Jack seemed to spend the movie running frantically back and forth across the screen without anything to really do. The quirky behaviour which had been amusing and endearing in the first movie came across as bumbling and ineffectual in this one. I was sure that this movie would show us the instant that the Flying Dutchman's heart (his love and humanity) is taken back into his body; turning him from the monster he was into the man he had once been. I was waiting for the reunion of lovers; both the Sea Goddess and the Flying Dutchman, and Will and Elizabeth. Neither happened. And is anybody but me disturbed by the fact that it is Will's own father that cuts his heart out, and condems him to an eternal curse? At the end of this movie, everybody we care about is dead, cursed or abandoned and alone. This was a fantasy pirate movie, how about some fantasy story telling? This story was just depressing."

The Limerick at World's End

Amanda Richards | Georgetown, Guyana | 06/04/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There once was a pirate named Jack
Who was constantly under attack
The last movie's shocker
Sent him to the Locker
The trick now is getting him back

Though hardly a tried and true friend
Barbossa leads them to World's End
It wasn't a squall
But a huge waterfall
That sent the group clean round the bend

Jack's having some deep consultations
With all of his hallucinations
The stones that he grabs
Turn out to be crabs
That live there in vast populations

The Pearl now has too many bosses
As over the waves the ship tosses
At the time of the flash
They upturn with a splash
Leaving Davy Jones counting his losses

The viewer will not be dismayed
To learn that they've all been betrayed
Cross AND double cross
Is how it comes across
As each player has their own crusade

Lord Beckett commands Davy Jones
Who is bound by the heart that he owns
They get into port
For the Brethren Court
Driving fear into the pirates' bones

In an effort to keep things afloat
The pirate lords call for a vote
Jack fiddles the thing
And soon there's a king
Though the king feels more like a scapegoat

Calypso has longed to be free
Once trapped by the pirates' decree
She summons a storm
The ocean to transform
While howling just like a banshee

There's lots more to this soggy tale
With its battle scenes of massive scale
Tales of father and son
And of loves lost and won
But I won't bore you now with detail

New characters give it a boost
Though Keith Richards' role seems quite reduced
Added to that
There's now Chow Yun-Fat
But it's dreadfully over-produced

For almost three hours or more
This movie you'll have to endure
Though perfect in places
It's full of dull spaces
Though I wouldn't say that it's a bore

Rated: 3.5 stars



Amanda Richards, June 3, 2007



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