I watched At World's End once more. I don't know why but I guess I was desperate to shake this feeling off me that told me AWE sucked. The first time I saw it, I was horrified by the character development. I hated the way how Jack Sparrow became a secondary character, Davy became a secondary antagonist and how the producers killed off Norrington when they built up such a powerful character at the end of DMC. Yes, I honestly thought Norrington would get more screen time and would have somewhat of an instrumental role in the end, i.e. switching sides, betraying Beckett. Besides that, there were many unwanted scenes that the movie could've done without. Like voting Elizabeth the Pirate King. First of all, it should've been a Pirate Queen but more importantly it was uncalled for. She was given too much of an importance in this movie as compared to the first two. That is perfectly normal for someone watching Pirates for the first time but to those of us deligently following the storyline it was uncalled for. I felt the plot was a mess, all over the place.
And Will, the new captain of the Dutchman? Well better than Jack becoming the captain which, would've been all too predictable. Still I felt disappointed by the lack of importance Davy Jones received in this movie. And Norrington as well (partly because Jack Davenport's drop dead hot and sexy but that aside...).
But I guess what saved the movie was probably the top notch acting by the cast. Yes there was great chemistry between Rush and Depp and the constant bickering of Barbossa and Sparrow, just adorable but sometimes over the top. The tension between Will and Elizabeth was well orchestrated and the old sparks between James and Liz was nice. I liked the kiss, because it was poignant and well gentle and...need I go on? And the thing that hit the jackpot was the awesome special effects! Especially towards the end, when they lined up for battle. The Black Pearl vs the Flying Dutchman. It was mindblowing, spectacular. This reminds me, the whole releasing of Calypso was just waste of screen time. I mean we did not need to see a 20 feet tall giant Tia Dalma dissipating into hundreds of crabs. No. I particularly enjoyed the battle between the Pearl and the Dutchman and that whirlpool.
Let's see. Oh yes, Tom Hollander! He has officially made me a fan. When I first saw him in DMC I thought he was a dickhead, similar to how much scorn I directed towards Norrington after CoTBP. The way he portrayed Beckett, it was just amazing. Especially at the end, when both the Pearl and the Dutchman fired at his ship, he just stood there, stunned, expressionless, only muttering, "It's just good business..." I felt I could seriously jump into the screen and kiss him. Hot and incredibly sexy.
Why are all Navy officers such stuck up arses in their first impression? Hmmm? Then drop dead sexy and gorgeous in the subsequent ones? Damn you Norrington! Damn you Beckett! And there goes my muse again. Never mind.
I'd still give AWE a 4 out of 5. I still stand by CoTBP. It's the best of the 3. I hope there'll be more of Pirates. Arrrr!
PS: I forgot to mention, Johnny looked hot as ever! :D