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Shelf Beauties |
Pirates
of the Caribbean: All of the characters we
love are back, but it’s the monkey who should be demanding
$20 million to do a
sequel! Sure, you
might want Johnny Depp
back, but that monkey has got the charisma!
He’s a star!
Keira Knightley is back as
Elizabeth Swann – the daughter of a well-to-do British
governor (Jonathan
Pryce), who has become a sexy tough lady pirate.
She and her somewhat spurned
lover/fiancée,
Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), have joined forces with their one-time
nemesis,
Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), and the mysterious mystic, Tia (Naomi
Harris),
to make a voyage to the other world, also known as Davy
Jones’ Locker, where
they hope to find Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp).
The evil Lord Beckett (Tom Hollander) has
ordered the extermination of all pirates, and Sparrow is needed to save
pirates
everywhere. Can Elizabeth, Will and
Barbossa find Sparrow? Why
is he the key
to saving all of the pirates? Can
Will
and Elizabeth patch up their relationship and finally get married? What is
everyone’s real motivation?
How cool will Keith Richards be in this
movie? If you loved the first two
movies, you’re going to love this one, and for good reason. Pirates
of the Caribbean:
At World’s End
eschews the problems that plagued Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead
Man’s Chest
and continues to deliver the swashbuckling action and comedy that won
over fans
and doubters alike when Pirates of the Like in POTC:Dead
Man’s
Chest, writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio give us more
twists and
turns than
are necessary in POTC:AT
World’s End (it is a movie that is
almost 3 hours
long, so they fill the time with every possible surprise, subplot and
sword
fight they can imagine), but it’s a movie that is more easily
followed than its
predecessor, and one where all of those twists and turns have more
meaning, and
even come off as intentionally funny and overwrought.
Plus, Elliott and Rossio have thrown in plenty of
material allowing each
character to examine his or her destiny, and add a touch of sweet,
poignant
sorrow as some accept their fate.
The actors are the final
piece in this summer blockbuster puzzle, but certainly not the least
significant. Depp
still is funny,
especially as the movie passes the halfway point and his story becomes more
involved. While he
might be a little too silly in his
first appearance in POTC:At
World’s End, he makes it work
enough to compel you to
stick around and see what is going to happen next.
Knightley puts in her best
performance in any of the three movies as she is the one character who
has
grown and changed the most, and gets a chance to show her fire and
romantic
abilities in this installment.
Meanwhile,
Rush proves he was born to be a pirate with his sneering smile, the
fire in his
eyes when the action starts, and the pure joy he gives the character
when
Barbossa is behind the steering wheel of the boat.
Even Bloom gets to show some depth as his
character faces all sorts of challenges when it comes to his love for POTC:
At World’s End
provides no good moment to sneak off to the bathroom, so get the small
soda,
but be warned. This
movie has one of
those Lord of
the Rings: Return of the King multiple ending
endings
that makes
you think its time to get out of the seat, but puts your booty back in
position
as yet another scene is unfurled (mostly to set up what will likely be
the
sequel). 3
½ Waffles (Out of 4) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action, adventure and some frightening images.
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