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Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, the final part of the three chapter Pirates trilogy premiered in Malaysia last Thursday (24 May 2007). WL and I watched it at the new Tanjong Golden Village (TGV) cineplex in Cheras Selatan.

Sypnosis
The movie picks up where the previous segment (Dead Man’s Chest) left off. Captain Jack Sparrow (Johny Depp) and the Black Pearl were swallowed by the Kracken and sent to Davy Jones’ locker. Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush, from the first Pirates chapter, The Curse of the Black Pearl) has been brought back to life to lead the motley crew of pirates to rescue Jack Sparrow. Joining Barbossa are the blacksmith turned pirate, William Turner (Orlando Bloom), the lovely Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), voodoo queen Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris, later revealed to be the Goddess of the Sea, Calypso), and Jack’s original crew from the first film. The rescue party meet up with Captain Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat), to acquire a ship for and map for their journey to the world’s end. After an action packed and hilarious opener, as expected from the series, they are on their way.

Meanwhile, the Flying Dutchman, captained by Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), has fallen under the control of the Armada who are in possession of the evil captain’s heart. With the Dutchman at the head of the fleet, they are an unstoppable force and slowly putting an end to the age of piracy. Pushed to the edge, the song is sung and a meeting of the Pirate Brethren, consisting of nine pirate captains from across the globe, is called.

After Jack is rescued, the movie finally climaxes with a final battle between the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman. Along the way we are treated with a string of double crosses, double dealings, twists, turns, and swashbuckling action. You’ll just have to watch the movie yourself for the details.

My Say
Don’t watch the movie expecting a plot that makes any real sense. Don’t watch the movie hoping to tie down all the lose ends. Don’t watch the movie to see Chow Yun-Fat. Instead, watch the movie for what it is. A fast paced swashbuckling blockbuster. That way, you won’t be disappointed.

The storyline isn’t a very strong one. Personally, it’s just there simply to hold the different scenes together. Think of it as an excuse to showcase the various effects and action scenes more than anything else. And believe me, there are a lot of action sequences to be seen. Three hours worth.

Although Chow Yun-Fat features prominently in the movie posters and trailers, he doesn’t play a very big role in the movie. In fact, his is more of a cameo appearance, showing up in the first segment of the movie, disappearing for a long while, and reappearing after Jack’s rescue only to have something bad happen to him in the next scene (oops… did I give it away?). I think he’s there to draw in the Asian crowd, and doesn’t greatly affect the direction of the movie.

As always, Keira Knightley is good eye candy. You be the judge of her acting. Her tan’s a little off though. Much prefer the pretty, and fair Elizabeth from the Curse of the Black Pearl, heaving bosoms and all. But that’s not to say the strong willed ass kicking pirate queen isn’t hot. There’s even a scene where pirates get to peek up her skirt (or rather shirt).

Johny Depp’s character is as colourful as ever. From his split personalities to hallucinations, cowardice to pirate bravado, subtle humour to slapstick comedy, you can’t help but fall in love with Captain Jack Sparrow. As WL puts it time and time again, you have to look twice and ask whether that’s really Johny Depp under the cheesy goatee. Also keep a weather eye out for Jack Sparrow’s parents (guess who).

Can’t say that I like this character. Okay, so maybe I envy him caressing Keira’s calves at the end of the movie but there’s really nothing much to be said about Will Turner. He’s a little too serious for my liking. When seeing the name Orlando Bloom, most girls will swoon and most people will think “Lord of the Rings”. Sadly, the blurry charm from that movie is missing from this one. That said, I did enjoy the funny marriage ceremony amidst the climatic battle.

The movie is hilarious from start to finish, with some dull points in the middle when nothing is really happening. Overall, it was a good movie in my books. Losing the expectations, I enjoyed the movie for what it was. Sheer entertainment. Don’t think too much or too deeply about why or what’s happening. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

P.S. If you watch the movie at the cinema, be sure to stay on after the credits roll. There’s a short cut scene after the initial credits and before the role call. If you leave, like most Malaysians do, immediately after the final scene, you’ll miss out the FINAL scene ;)