Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

At World’s End is the second half of Dead Man’s Chest, and in my eyes, the final film of the Pirates franchise. I thought that making On Stranger Tides was a mistake, and as such I haven’t seen it yet. At World’s End picks up more or less where Dead Man’s Chest left off, with Jack’s friends, led by Captain Barbossa, seeking to rescue him from Davy Jones’ locker.

The plot of the movie is not as strong as it could be. After Jack is rescued from the locker he gets back on his quest to stab the heart of Davy Jones and sail the seas forever. I thought it suffered from the problems that many ‘finishing films’ seem to, in that they try and fit too much into one film. What with the final battle, Davy Jones’ locker, the pirate court, the mission in Singapore, the freeing of Calypso, and everything in between with Bootstrap Bill, Davy Jones and the Cutler Beckett’s pursuit going on as well it seems like too much. Even that sentence was too long, so that should give you some idea of how dragged out it is.

In the first Pirates of the Caribbean film, Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa is really scary. It might be something to do with his moonlight-revealing skeletal form, but he is immensely scary and makes a fitting villain to the first movie. His revelation at the end of the second movie is shocking (but is explained if you watch to the end of the credits of the first movie I think, I may be wrong), but his role in the third film seems to be very anonymous. I think that the main reason he was brought back was because to introduce another new pirate in At World’s End would be too much. His character seems to go much the same way as the Pirates films: starts off brilliantly, but by the third he doesn't seem quite the same. He is presented in many ways as being equal to Jack, and seems to be more obviously shrewd and less eccentric. He is the first to cotton on to the fact that Tia Dalma is the goddess Calypso for example, which has immense consequences for the outcome of the film.

Naomie Harris is one of those actresses that seems to pop up from time to time and I always seem to recognise her. She is so completely unrecognisable in Pirates of the Caribbean that I completely didn't connect her to 28 Days Later, and when I saw Skyfall, again didn't make the association. She shows off how good an actress she is best in Pirates of the Caribbean as she plays the heavily accented ‘mystic’ who turns out to be the goddess of the seas. Fittingly, she is also the reason that Davy Jones cut out his heart and also seems to quite like Captain Jack. Her roles in the second and third films were among the more enjoyable moments of the franchise, and I liked the way her character developed.

Chow Yun-Fat also makes an appearance as the fearsome pirate Sao-Feng, and is glittering in the role. Upon his death (sorry if I’ve given that one away) he passes his captaincy on to Elizabeth Swann, which leads to her instrumental role in the defeat of the forces pursuing the pirates. Sao-Feng is a brilliant character, and it’s a shame that he is given such a brief role in the films. The scenes in Singapore are a highlight of this film, and sees some tense moments intertwined with the humour that makes the Pirates of the Caribbean films nearly unique, and so refreshing.

Despite having an awful lot going on, the end is wonderfully spectacular and very well written. The battles between Cutler Beckett’s crew and the pirates is meant to convey a sense of life falling apart around a man who had so much, and his acceptance of it. That’s fairly obvious from watching the scene though. I thought that the battle between Captain Jack and Davy Jones was suitably epic in scale and design. The outcome of this battle has consequences for every single remaining character in the film. Jack has his life’s dream torn away from him, Elizabeth has her love torn away from her, and Will has his freedom torn away from him. It seems too obvious to say, but there is a strong sense that everything has changed at the end of the film. Best of all though is that by the end of the film it seems to have come to a natural conclusion.

As with Dead Man’s Chest, there is no way that At World’s End lives up to The Curse of theBlack Pearl, but it doesn't fall too far short. If you've watched the first and second films then you should watch the third. If you start with the third film then you won’t get a lot of the in-jokes, the character quirks and the general references to the previous films. A lot of people have been very critical of it, but as with the other Pirates of the Caribbean films, I enjoyed it, and that’s enough reason to watch this one.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

I had toyed with the idea of doing the Pirates of the Caribbean reviews as one big post, but I realised that my thoughts on each of them were so different, and at times so similar, that I’d probably sound like I was repeating myself or contradicting myself if I tried to do too much. So I’m going to take them one by one, and space them out a bit I think. I remember when the first Pirates of the Caribbean film came out. I was only 11, but it was immediately one of my favourite films. It was fresh and funny, and had a main character who has since become a bit of an icon. It has changed the modern perception of pirates and is one of the most successful franchises of the last few years. The fast-paced action-adventure film is instantly enjoyable and very worth watching. I thought it was quite original when it was released, but I have since been informed that it was not. Evidently I have not seen as many pirate films as my flatmate.

The Curse of the Black Pearl was brilliant. It is the first film in the movie franchise, and introduces Captain Jack Sparrow who is on a quest to win back his ship, the Black Pearl, from the hands of his mutinous first mate and his cursed crew. He is helped in this quest by the blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and the kidnapped Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). The best thing about this movie was not the catchphrases, the comedic moments, the original screenplay or the captivating nature of the film, but its success which was largely unexpected. It received Academy Award nominations for Best Actor (Johnny Depp), Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Makeup, and Best Visual Effects. Personally I love the first film just because of how original a film it is. There are so many quotes from it, and so many moments which stick with me. My favourite of these quotes from the first movie is this:

Johnny Depp was already a very well established actor when The Curse of the Black Pearl was released, but it was this film that really established him as a name that everyone knew. His quirky and eccentric character has become a cultural icon, and spawned countless Halloween outfits. His acting in the first Pirates of the Caribbean film definitely deserved the Best Actor nomination it received. It really takes something to play a character so different from other roles. However, it is the little things about his performance that complete it, such as the swaying and the hand movements. Nevertheless, despite his ‘madness’ he has a brilliant mind, and in the first film we are treated to a taste of his scheming ways. The Curse of the Black Pearl is fantastic because the audience finds themselves rooting for Jack Sparrow, despite him being a criminal who is running away from the authorities, because he has a bigger enemy in Captain Barbossa. There are few superlatives left for me to praise Johnny Depp in this role, and so I think I’ll move on.

Orlando Bloom was completely unknown to me when the first film was released, but mainly because I didn’t see the Lord of the Rings films until I’d seen Pirates of the Caribbean. His performance in The Curse of the Black Pearl is, to me at least, slightly annoying. I really like his character, but I wasn’t convinced by the way he was portrayed. I think that he comes across as very weak and seems very deceitful, much more concerned with his own mission than the overall aims. However, despite this I still liked his character. The scene where he and Jack have the fight in the blacksmith’s workshop is another stand-out favourite. I guess the main problem with Bloom in this movie is that he is so completely overshadowed by Johnny Depp that it is difficult to be too complimentary. I would be like trying to talk up the good points of a Mercedes when you have an Aston Martin sitting next to it. That comes across as quite harsh to Orlando Bloom (and possibly to Mercedes), but at the end of the day, Johnny Depp (and Aston Martins) is so good that it clouds him a bit.

I think I shall save my thoughts on Keira Knightley for the next post, but save to say that she doesn't suffer as much from the overshadowing of Johnny Depp’s performance. My next point is that the idea of having cursed pirates who cannot die, and are exposed to their skeletons by moonlight is ingenious. Gore Verbinski manages to get nearly every aspect of the film nailed on. The soundtrack (provided by Hans Zimmer) is very catchy, and while similar to many other Zimmer soundtracks, has produced a main theme that is instantly recognisable. The twists and turns of the plot are absolutely brilliant, and the audience is never sure quite what is going on. The best bit though is the fear that the cursed pirates manage to induce in the audience. The visual effects are so good and so convincing that the skeletal forms are genuinely scary, and this is why Pirates of the Caribbean was so good. The first movie throws you into this world of pirates and nightmares and leaves you so captivated that you just want to see more.

I will be stunned if there is someone reading this who doesn't have a clue what I’m on about with this post. I’m sure everyone knows just a little bit about the Pirates of the Caribbean films, and if not then they should try to rectify that immediately. The first one is such a good movie, and is definitely one that should be on your watchlist if you haven’t already seen it. The second movie, Dead Man’s Chest, will be reviewed in a week, and I promise I will talk about Keira Knightley then.