DVD Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

As you're no doubt aware by now, I'm a big fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. At this point, you either love the series or you're completely disinterested in the franchise, so I'm guessing this DVD review is meant for the "already fans." We'll start off with some material from my original review of the film, then some thoughts after my second third time with the flick, and then we'll finish off with a blow-by-blow on the DVD goodies. (The DVD hits the shelves on December 4 in a solo-disc or dual-platter format. This review covers the two-disc special edition, which is scheduled to go "into Disney moratorium" as of September 2008.)

Sometimes the big-time franchise makers are damned if they do and damned if they don't: Churn out a skimpy "Part 3" that just rehashes what was offered in Parts 1 & 2 and you've got something vaguely entertaining but clearly inferior like Shrek the Third. Try too hard to jam too many arbitrary plot threads and flimsy characters into your third entry and you're stuck with a lurching behemoth like Spider-Man 3. And then you have the middle ground: The sprawling, gorgeous and massive adventure epic Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, which while far from a flawless film, aims to stay faithful to its predecessors while still upping the ante (a lot) with a boat-load of new plot developments, characters and surprisingly nifty subtext. Yep, this particular popcorn movie runs almost three full hours, but if producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski had produced a quick-buck 92-minute third chapter, then the complaints would be legion. You can't win. Except at the box office, obviously.

As it stands: Yes, Pirates 3 has a few more plot-threads than it really needs. And yes, it's probably a bit longer (168 minutes) than it really needs to be -- but the bottom line is this: Once again, the Pirates series delivers the goods. In style and color, in character and adventure, in wit and weirdness ... this movie delivers. I'll make it even simpler: If you enjoyed Part 1 but thought Part 2 was over-plotted, overlong and over-kinetic, then you'll feel the exact same way about Part 3. As an outspoken and very geeky fan of the first two chapters, however, I was pretty much dazzled by what World's End has to offer, and I'm not just talking about the action, the effects and the mayhem. And if the flick's got just a little too much fat on the bones, oh well. A bit too much is always better than not enough, if it's me you're asking.

...then a bunch of plot synopsis that we don't really need at this point... Ah, here's a half-decent section:

As in the last two films, the cast is photogenic, amusing and generally solid across the board. Yeah, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley's characters are still a little bland, but there's more than enough color here to deliver a few diversions. (The long-discussed Keith Richards cameo is a gimmick, but a briefly funny one.) As in the second chapter, it's the supporting characters who keep the ship afloat: Kevin McNally as Jack's right-hand man, Mackenzie Crook and Lee Arenberg as the Abbott & Costello of the unwashed pirate set, Naomie Harris as a borderline indecipherable fortune teller, Chow Yun-Fat as a devious pirate captain forced to reach an accord with the ever-scheming Sparrow, etc. (One only wishes that series regulars Jonathan Pryce and Jack Davenport had been given a little more to do. In a movie this long, the firmly established characters shouldn't get shunted into the background, but that's pretty much what happens here.) But the true standout of At World's End is Mr. Geoffrey Rush, whose snarling comments and boisterous energy were sorely missed in Dead Man's Chest. Rush and Depp make a fantastic team whenever the pair share the screen.

To delve into the sterling cinematography, the seriously stunning set design, the outrageous action scenes or the eye-tickling special effects would be pointless and redundant: You've already seen Pirates 2, and this one was shot at the same time by the same team. Sure, Pirates 3 is longer than it needs to be, and it's more than a little circuitous with all its overlapping story threads, subplots, character motivations and ceaseless back-stabbings ... but I don't think the fans will mind all that much. When you order an extra-large pizza with "everything," it damn well better be delivered with everything. To close this silly analogy: At World's End is that pizza. It gives you everything you want from a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and if doles out just a few too many toppings and a couple of 'em spill off the plate, well, that seems like a pretty wacky thing to complain about.

-- OK, so after a third visit with the flick on DVD ... I'm pretty much of the same opinion: Too much chit-chat, and the thing really does droop in the middle section, but those are small complaints in the face of an adventure flick this colorful, enthusiastic and massive. I'm still a little irritated at the way Norrington went out, and I can plainly understand the gripes about the over-plotted nature of the narrative -- but the simple truth is this: For your $9 movie ticket (or your $19 DVD purchase), the Pirates movies simply deliver the goods. (And leftovers.) The third might be the relatively weakest of the lot, but there's still something to be said for a big-time trilogy in which all three movies are actually GOOD.

So let's get on to the good stuff. The geeky goods. The wonderful extra features that the fans love to pick through -- and this set's got a fairly good collection...

Keith & The Captain: On Set with Johnny and the Rock Legend (4:41)
Anatomy of a Scene: The Maelstrom (19:25)
The Tale of Many Jacks (4:49)
Deleted Scenes (with optional director's commentary):
-- I Like Riddles (0:55)
-- Two Captains, One Ship (1:28)
The World of Chow Yun-Fat (4:13)
The Pirate Maestro: The Music of Hans Zimmer (10:29)
Masters of Design:
-- James Byrkit: Sao Feng's Map (6:18)
-- Crash McCreery: The Cursed Crew (5:24)
-- Rick Heinrichs: Singapore (5:11)
-- Penny Rose: Teague's Costume (3:35)
-- Kris Peck: The Code Book (5:19)
Hoist the Colours (4:40)
Inside the Brethren Court (about 10:00)
* I also found some 'easter egg' featurettes that cover animatics, set construction, and drums! (And on disc one you'll find a five-minute blooper reel.)

The featurettes are your typically polished, informative, and fan-friendly pieces -- but where's the awe-inspiring mega-documentary on the series as a whole? (Being held back for a future DVD package, that's where!) Still, the scope of the supplemental material is impressive, even if the depth really isn't. The highlights are the 20-minute "maelstrom" breakdown, the multiple Sparrows material, and the collection of contributions from the artists and designers in the "Masters of Design" section. Expect lots of cast and crew interviews, on-set footage and movie clips.

Unfortunately it seems that the audio commentary went missing! Press releases (and precedent) implied that there'd be some sort of audio commentary, but nope. Looks like it got yanked at the last second, which I (as an unapologetic commentary fan) find rather disappointing. (Plus: All the extra features combined, including the hidden stuff, measures out to about 90 minutes, and not the "hours" that the DVD case promises. Guess two hours of audio commentary go a long way.) On the plus side, the movie looks pretty darn stellar, even on my apparently antiquated "standard DVD" player. The anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) transfer is nothing short of magnificent, and the 5.1 audio track is something to be enjoyed loudly.

So sure. I can plainly see what people don't like in these movies. But, for the most part, I guess I just don't agree with those complaints. I'll take huge and sprawling over cheap and lazy any day ... plus Johnny Depp's still hilarious.