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Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) and Cap’n Jack (Johnny Depp) join forces against a ghostly armada |
Sparrow in the works
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Certificate 12a
AVAST there, me hearties, and shiver me timbers! Hail the first summer blockbuster! Cap’n Jack is back, otherwise the indefatigable pirate Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in the third of the Pirates trilogy that sees him once again up to his neck in trouble as he battles fact and fantasy across the seven seas.
This time, his main antagonist is power-mad aristocrat Lord Cutler (Tom Hollander) who has gained control of the Flying Dutchman ghost ship with his cohorts, and sails around the globe sinking every ship he comes across.
On board is its vengeful skipper Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), now a scaly apparition draped with seaweed, who roams the decks like a human crustacean, complete with lobster claw for a hand.
Along with his chums Will (Orlando Bloom), spirited heroine Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush, stealing every scene), Jack gathers the Nine Brethren, a motley crew of fellow pirates, to take on the ghost ship and its armada.
That’s the plot, just about. This salty saga starts off in confusion, with a pitched battle in a Singapore dockside cellar, fought for no apparent reason, and ends up a total mess.
It descends into further chaos as Cap’n Jack is caught in limbo between this world and the next, as his ship turns turtle in a raging storm – miraculously, all on board survive.
This whole nonsense is disguised by a multitude of spectacular set pieces, with thunderous music (step forward, Hans Zimmer) and ferocious sea battles that will certainly set your pulse pounding.
Johnny Depp reprises his curious hero, sporting a pallid complexion, an uneasy accent and a camp attitude as he minces around the swaying decks.
But his swordplay is enough to earn a few brownie points, especially during a climactic fight scene on a yardarm 60 feet above a gigantic whirlpool swirling below.
So, step aboard for a rollicking adventure. Even if, at close to three hours, it’s a voyage that feels far too long. |
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