**THE UGLY: ‘PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END’**

WRITING: 40
ACTING: 80
LOOK: 90
SOUND: 85
FEEL: 55
NOVELTY: 60
ENJOYMENT: 40
RE-WATCHABILITY: 45
INTRIGUE: 40
EXPECTATIONS: 25

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**THE GOOD:**

The trademark humour, great swashbuckling action and breathtaking production design remain intact in the third Pirates entry. The bombastic look and sound that was slowly introduced in the previous instalment reach their full bloom here, making At World’s End the darkest and most fantastical entry in the franchise.

Elizabeth Swann receives loads of love by finally unleashing the pirate inside her. She is the most fleshed-out and well-treated character within the main trio and Keira Knightley seems to have a great time playing her.

The constant bickering between Jack and Barbossa is hilarious, and Depp and Rush truly seem to have a great time together. These moments are what remains of the characteristic fun and warmth of the first film.

Some of the action set pieces and ideas present (particularly in the first half at the titular world’s end) are inventive and some of the best in the franchise.

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**THE BAD:**

Forgetting the simple joys of piracy, adventure and swashbuckling for a CGI shitfest and a story riddled with subplots, characters and lengthy battles, not to mention politics, some weird faith-based shenanigans and forced romantic tension is not a smart move. The script is too busy, too heavy and too nonsensical to feel satisfying.

At World's End crumbles under the weight of its story, characters and all the politics and subplots thrown in. By the time we reach the lengthy final battle, we are already numb from everything that comes before it.

The script makes Will Turner an unlikable douchebag to create artificial tension. I dislike the way Will is treated in this film because he is such an unsympathetic brat.

The climactic battle is long and unnecessarily dragged out, to the point where it stops being entertaining. It looks epic and such, but it just feels like too much.

The plot adds plenty of pirate politics, religious beliefs and other cultural phenomena that help fleshing out the world but also dry out most of the adventure and fun from the film. There's too much going on, and half of it isn't interesting. I was hoping for a return to the smaller-scale magic of the first film.

First, they spend a good chunk of the film introducing us to pirate lords and setting up a war between a pirate fleet and the East India Trading Company, then they completely sideline the pirate fleet and resolve the war with three ships. That feels like a waste of runtime for pointless build-up.

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**THE UGLY:**

Best. Wedding. Scene. Ever.

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**THE VERDICT:**

_The final film of the original Pirates trilogy brings the franchise to an epic but unsatisfying and overstuffed temporary close._

**56% = :heavy_minus_sign: = UGLY**