Jack Is Back

At the risk of getting too high-falutin' for a summer popcorn flick, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End serves as a metaphor for itself. To wit: when we last left Captain Jack Sparrow (and the Pirates franchise), he was dead, and had disappeared into an abyss. As part three opens, our team of heroes (now joined by the not-dead Captain Barbossa) have rallied together to bring him back. And behold, when Jack returns to the land of the living, he's full of life and spirit, the Jack we remembered from the first flick. But there's a bigger threat at hand: the East India Company (read: critics and unhappy moviegoers) want to do away with all pirates, and it takes a veritable pirate army to defeat their foes.

Alright, enough with all that. My point is this: At World's End is a vast improvement over Dead Man's Chest, which I really didn't like. Part three is a rousing, epic adventure, full of life, and despite its epic length (nearly three hours), I can't say it ever drags. No, this film is not as good or fun as the first one, which was full of novelty and newness. But so what. The franchise has become a full-on action series, and at that, it's redeemed itself. There are some good laughs, some great effects (Davy Jones, again, is just amazing), a thrilling final battle sequence, beautiful photography, and plenty of Johnny Depp's charm. How can you go wrong? I'm giving At World's End a B+. Go see this one, and see it in the theater.