"... an incredible coda to a phenomenal franchise."
The third film in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Pirates of the Caribbean:
At World's End, concludes what I will repeatedly refer to as one of the greatest film trilogy ever. It's imperative to stop Davy Jones, and Will Turner is spearheading the effort. Will Turner needs to recruit as many pirates as he can find—including the supposedly “dead” Captain Jack Sparrow—to help him defeat Davy Jones permanently in order to keep his word and save his father. That is, after all, the main narrative, but believe me when I say that it is far more interesting than I have made it appear.
I would rank Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End as the conclusion of one of the greatest cinematic trilogy ever. It starts out strong, falters a little in the middle, but then it fishes harder than I ever could have imagined, providing me with all I could ever want from this brand. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is an incredible conclusion to an already incredible franchise, boasting outstanding acting, stunning effects, a beautiful score, and a plot that neatly closes up the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.
CGI has enthralled us with its "wow" factor ever since its inception in the 1980s, peaking during its formative years with films like Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, and Twister. Later, it captured our attention with the Matrix and Star Wars prequel trilogies, and most recently, the Lord of the Rings films. Much with stop-motion animation, color photography, and other filmmaking innovations that came before it, computer-generated imagery (CGI) quickly rose to prominence in many of the big Hollywood productions that followed. Its evolution over the last 20 years has provided filmmakers, authors, and producers with an almost infinite palette to work with, and we've mostly been satisfied to be amazed by the hues.
At World's End and Dead Man's Chest were 100% intended to be "wow" films. It appears as though every shot, design, and visual effect are the wet dreams of a production team that is fixated on attempting to dazzle the viewer with the amazing creations they can now make. This time, instead of the walking dead from the first Pirate movie, we get a crew of hideous sea creatures and their horrific ship. Giant squids that eat ships and enormous sea deities are what we encounter. And without a doubt, Davey Jones features the most lifelike computer-generated character ever.
Insteaded of just counting the money that patrons put in when they entered the theater, I hope that someone in Hollywood takes the time to speak with them as they go. If they do, they may discover that the clear answer to that question is no. Ultimately, "wow" was not the reason behind the success of The Curse of the Black Pearl. Its success can be attributed to a skilled actor who succeeded at the most fundamental level of filmmaking by giving a compelling character bold life. It's unfortunate that no one noticed that when the chance for a sequel presented itself.
