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Would "Pirates of the Caribbean 3; At World's End" follow in the success of the previous 2 movies? Was it going to be as good as, or perhaps even better than "Pirates of the Caribbean; Dead Man's Chest" and "Pirates of the Caribbean; the Curse of the Black Pearl"? Both critics and cinemagoers awaited the final film in this trilogy with much anticipation.

It is always hard to follow the achievement of a previous film when making a sequel, and even more so when you are creating the third one. The movie "At World's End" is not an exception. The first film was great, the second even better, although it was more of a slapstick comedy. You already knew the characters, the effects were better and the jokes funnier. It is not often that the sequel does that well, so the bar was set high the third time around.

As The Pirates of the Caribbean was always intended to be a trilogy, you would have assumed that there was going to be a storyline and a red thread between the three films. Nevertheless, you felt the story waiver in the second movie, and it is even weaker in the third film.

Johnny Depp is as brilliant as ever, even if we by now have got used to Captain Sparrow's quirkiness. The rest of the cast do an excellent job, but somehow "At World's End" just seems long. With nearly 3 hours, there are a lot of things going on, at times even too much. The stories are weak, and there is no depth or thought to them. It is a darker film than the previous once, and one where evil seem to conquer.

As Jack Sparrow has ended up on the other side of the grave, Will and Elizabeth set out to bring him back. In order for this to succeed they strike a deal with their former enemy, Barbarossa. Once united, they are forced to fight Davy Jones and Lord Cutler Beckett as the latter plots to rule the seas and destroy the pirate's way of life. The pirate lords are called in to help, and so the fight for survival begins.

The scenery and the special effects are as good as ever, perhaps even better, but that might be the film's downfall. There are so many effects that you lose track of the plot. If they had concentrated on telling the story, rather than making it a backdrop for special effects, the movie might have been a lot better. It just seems as if they are trying very hard to outperform the previous movies.

There are a few new characters introduced, but they don't have much to add. They seem to be there to make the fights bigger and more violent than before. They don't come with a storyline on their own. The movie is relaying on the success of the previous two films, and the format hasn't changed much.

As the film is based on the two earlier once, it's a good idea to fresh up the memory by watching them before going to the cinema. The third film continues where the sequel left off, and presumes that everyone remembers what has happened. If you don't, the start might seem very complicated and it takes a while to realize what they are on about, and why they need to do what they are doing.

All in all, a good film that is a bit too long. If you enjoyed the other two, chances are that you will think "At World's End" is ok. If you haven't seen the others, don't bother seeing this one.

Learn more about this author, Camilla Persson.
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