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`Pirates' walks the plank.


Byline: Daniel M. Kimmel

COLUMN: MOVIE REVIEW

People who complained that "Pirates of the Caribbean This article is about the franchise. For other, more specific uses, see Pirates of the Caribbean (disambiguation). For real pirates, see Piracy in the Caribbean.
Pirates of the Caribbean
: Dead Man's Chest" - last summer's installment - was loud and incoherent will have to eat their words. It's almost as if director Gore Verbinkski took it as a challenge. "You think that was loud and incoherent?" he seems to be saying, "I'll show you loud and incoherent!"

Critics are likely to feel like the mythical Cassandra, futilely warning moviegoers that this nearly three-hour opus simply spins its wheels until the final sea battle sorts every thing out. The Disney Studio actually had notes presented to reviewers at the press screening asking that they not reveal any of the big plot surprises. Reveal them? Most viewers will barely be able to explain them.

Let's see Let's See was a Canadian television series broadcast on CBC Television between September 6, 1952 to July 4, 1953. The segment, which had a running time of 15 minutes, was a puppet show with a character named Uncle Chichimus (voice of John Conway), which presented each . Jack Sparrow Jack Sparrow is a fictional character in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe. He was introduced in (2003) and appeared in the back-to-back sequels, (2006) and (2007), where he was portrayed by Johnny Depp.  (Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II[1] (born June 9 1963) is an American actor. Biography
Early life
Depp was born in Owensboro, Kentucky, to John Christopher Depp Sr., a city engineer, and Betty Sue (Wells), a waitress.
), who died in the last film, is in some sort of limbo. A scene with multiple Jacks manning a derelict ship in the middle of a desert (!) has a certain surreal appeal, even if it makes no sense whatsoever. Elizabeth (Keira Knightly) and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush Geoffrey Roy Rush (born 6 July 1951) is an Academy Award- and Emmy Award-winning Australian actor. He is the first Australian-born person to win an Academy Award for acting. ) have joined forces and are trying to get the help of pirate Captain Sao Feng Captain Sao Feng (Chinese: 嘯風, Hanyu Pinyin: XiĆ o Fēng, literally "Howling Wind") is a pirate character introduced in , the sequel to and . He is played by Chow Yun Fat.  (Chow Yun-Fat
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Chow.


Chow Yun-Fat (Traditional Chinese: 周潤發; Simplified Chinese:
). The East India Company is allied with Davy Jones Davy Jones, personification or spirit of the sea. The name is best known in the expression "Davy Jones's locker," meaning the bottom of the sea, to which drowned sailors go.  (Bill Nighy
For the American television actor with a similar-sounding name, see Bill Nye.


Bill Nighy (IPA: /naɪ/; born December 12, 1949) is a Golden Globe and BAFTA-award winning English actor.
) in trying to wipe out the pirates. Will (Orlando Bloom Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Bloom[1] (born 13 January 1977) is an English actor. He had his break-through role in the early 2000s as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings[2] and blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean ) wants to marry Elizabeth but also rescue his father (Stellan Skarsgard) from Davy Jones, and it's not clear if he can do both.

Confused yet? Alliances change from moment to moment. Objects - like the "nine pieces of eight" that identify the pirate leaders or Jack's compass - keep changing their importance. Is the story about the East India Company versus the pirates? Is it about Davy Jones versus Jack Sparrow? Is it about Elizabeth deciding which pirate is her true love? The only way to make sense is to pick a character to root for (the safest being Elizabeth and Will) and cheer or jeer depending on their current fortunes.

As for the acting, it's hard to remember a recent film with a cast this strong that utterly wasted them. You may recall that this was a movie originally inspired by an amusement park ride. That's why the characters have all the qualities of animated mannequins. Even Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow - the chief attraction of the first film - has long overstayed his welcome.

And parents, this is a very violent film. From the opening scene featuring mass executions to the shootings and swordplay, this is not for little kids no matter how much they like their action toys. Indeed, if this wasn't a Walt Disney film it would be teetering on the edge of its PG-13 rating.

Nonetheless, "Pirates of the Caribbean" is now a franchise (there's even a hint for yet another sequel at the end of the film) and that makes it critic-proof. Most critics don't take it personally, and so this reviewer won't try to talk you out of going. Just lower your expectations and realize this is more of a ride than a movie, and you'll likely have a much better time than if you were expecting something that actually made sense.

`Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'

* *

A Walt Disney Pictures presentation

Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of action/adventure violence and some frightening images

Running time: 2 hour, 47 minutes

ART: PHOTO

CUTLINE: From left, Martin Klebba, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Broom, Naomie Harris and Johnny Depp star in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."
COPYRIGHT 2007 Worcester Telegram & Gazette
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2007 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.

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Title Annotation:TIME OUT
Publication:Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, MA)
Article Type:Movie review
Date:May 24, 2007
Words:578
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