“Did no one come to save me just because they missed me? " Captain Jack Sparrow

Well, Captain Sparrow, you need wonder no longer because the world not only misses you, it loves you. The anxiously awaited three-quel in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END, sets sail on May 25, 2007 with flags flying, cannons at the ready and more pirates than Davy Jones can ever hold in his locker! (You may recall that this is an auspicious release date in and of itself as on this date in 1977 another blockbuster franchise flew into theaters from a galaxy far, far away - “Star Wars.”)

When we last saw our beloved Jack Sparrow and his ship The Black Pearl, he had disappeared into the clutches of the Kraken, and is now “living” in the netherworld (as in dead) in Davy Jones Locker - wherever that may be. Seems hell is different for everyone. Luckily for him, despite all the double, triple and quadruple crossing that goes amongst pirates, and the fact that Jack owes every pirate and person he has ever met money, against all bounds of common sense, Will Truman and Elizabeth Swann determine to rescue Jack and return him to the land of the living. What they don’t count on, however, is the maelstrom of evil that now rules the sea - the disdainful Lord Cutler Beckett and the East India Trading Company. Intent on eliminating pirates and piracy (but for his own), he is on his own mission, one that flies in the face of everything that Jack and his friends hold dear. This, of course means, that not only do Will and Elizabeth have to return Jack to the living, they must also all band together to foil Beckett’s plans. Oh yeah! And there’s another wrinkle, the slimy Captain Davy Jones has teamed up with Beckett and is sailing the Seven Seas in his ghost ship The Flying Dutchman hunting down Jack - again. And don’t forget, Beckett now owns the chest that holds Davy Jones’ heart, Jones wants it back but Beckett can destroy Jones if the chest falls into the wrong hands which means Jones must succumb to Beckett’s wishes (even though they both agree that Jack Sparrow must never return).

Whew! Got all that? I know, I know. It seems like a convoluted labyrinth of twists and turns and sneaky pirate stuff, but trust me, it will all make sense in the end!

Realizing that if they are to stand any chance at defeating Beckett, Will and Elizabeth will need to summon the Nine Lords of the Brethren Court which established at the beginning of piracy when the sea goddess Calypso was bound into human form by “nine pieces of eight”. According to legend, when all nine pieces come together, Calypso’s fury is unleashed. Unfortunately, one of those brethren lords is missing (Got a clue who that might be?) which means that before they can do anything else, they have to find the maps and charts that will lead them to the missing lord AND they have to find a ship to take them. Embarking on their mission, they soon discover that the one map they need that should provide the location of World’s End and Davy Jones Locker is in the hands of the nefarious Chinese Pirate Sao Feng, who just happens to guard World’s End.

Knowing this adventure is more than the two can handle alone, they welcome the arrival of their once sworn enemy Captain Barbossa. Once dead himself, Barbossa has been brought back the dead by the voodoo priestess Tia Dalma, who claims that she can also help revive Jack once he is found. And for the fun of it, don’t forget that Will still wants to rescue his father Bootstrap Bill turner who is cursed and in the clutches of Jones somewhere in the world aboard The Flying Dutchman and he and Elizabeth still want to be married- someday.

Without giving away any spoilers lest Disney execs force me to walk the plank, let’s just say that everything comes to a head in an apocalyptic battle of biblical proportion to save the Seven Seas, and of course, pirates, as the Pirates Lords from around the globe all join forces (with our heroes of course) for one final stand against Lord Cutler Beckett, The East India Trading Company and Captain Davy Jones. And in the midst of it all, be on the lookout for a gun toting, guitar strumming pirate along the way.

Johnny Depp returns Captain Jack Sparrow, the only character he has ever revisited in his impressive career and who he just might visit again in the future. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again - Depp IS Jack Sparrow. For lack of a better description, Depp metamorphosizes into the swashbuckling Sparrow and it’s impossible to see where one ends and the other begins. Over the course of the trilogy, he has perfected the preening and pomposity and has such an indefatigable over-the-top yet nuanced flair about the character, the dialogue, the delivery. He is simply delicious. And he still has impeccable eyeliner. But as good as Depp is, this go round, eyes may be shifting slightly to Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa. In a much expanded role, Rush commands the screen in every shot and even adds a comedic flair to his authoritative presence previously not present in Barbossa. He is still a perfect counterpoint to Depp’s Sparrow.

Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley also reprise their roles of Will Truman and Elizabeth Swann. Unfortunately, their characters flounder, overshadowed by special effects and 15 sub-plots of which their romance is just one. Knightley, however, displays an impressively vigorous physicality that is consistent from start to finish. Bill Nighy is also back as Davy Jones and is as slimy and smarmy as ever. I still get the creeps looking at that character! Naomie Harris also returns as voodoo priestess Tia Dalma in a much expanded role. Central to several of the storylines, she is riveting displaying tacit strength with just a look or her stance.

Chow Yun Fat appears as the evil Pirate Lord Captain Sao Feng. Looking every bit the part, his stilted accented English with pirate drawl is a bit tiresome, but overall, he fills the bill. And of course, a new face finally arrives in the form of Keith Richards as Jack Sparrow’s father Captain Teague. Family resemblance? What do you think? With Richards and Depp one-on-one, there is no doubt that Richards was the inspiration for Depp’s Sparrow. Seeing Keith Richards in his acting debut in this film is in and of itself worth the price of admission. Seeing Depp and Richards together, would have me paying double. And folks, Richards is quite good!!!

Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio return as head scribes and turn in another winning work. Although I might have cut back on they 15 sub-plots, everything works and does come together and is all tied up in a neat little package by film’s end. No storyline goes undone. Dialogue is character consistent and entertaining and the action keeps things moving at a rapidly enthralling pace. One downfall, some of the storylines you might like to see fleshed out a bit more, take a back seat to the action. Particularly impressive are the new adventures and situation resolutions the team creates which then are left to ubber director Gore Verbinski to bring to life, and life he does bring!

Wasting no time in getting the film going, Verbinski opens with a pirate hanging which includes a young boy holding a piece of eight in hand. From there, he jumps to Singapore and the whirlwind E-ticket ride begins. Complex shots, beauteous locations, and special effects that can only be described as supercalifragilisticexpalidocious pull you to the end of the world along with Jack Sparrow with breathtaking exhilaration, particularly during a 40 minute sea battle set against a swirling maelstrom with the world turned upside down. Mind-boggling! One thing that sets this third entry apart from its predecessors is the attention paid to nature’s beauty. Returning cinematographer Dariusz Wolski captures some real magic with exquisite sunsets and starry nights that add a sentimentality and peaceful balance to the film that are just as breathtaking, if not moreso, than the CGI effects and swashbuckling battles.

Shot back to back over 284 days with “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest”, the shoot was grueling with locations everywhere from the Caribbean to the Utah salt flats, the latter of which called for a second full-sized replica of the Pearl to be built and filmed against blue screen for later insertion of CGI, not to mention 175,000 blue balls which we see magically transformed into crabs - and of course of all places to have rain, it rained in the desert. While filming in the Grand Bahama, two hurricanes struck destroying the sets and real-life pirates plundered the cast and crew while shooting in Dominica. (Look for some of that booty to turn up on eBay.) For just the climactic finale, shooting lasted 4 months and involved more special effects for just this one sequence than were in the entire first Pirates movie and the actors had to submit to onslaughts of freezing rain and wind machines cranked up to 100 mph. And let’s not forget the script wasn’t even completed when a good portion of the film was being lensed!

Poised to bring in enough pirate booty to break the $1 billion box office barrier, from the end of the world to your town, set sail for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END. Yo ho, yo ho. It's a pirates life for me!!

Captain Jack Sparrow: Johnny Depp
Will Truman: Orlando Bloom
Elizabeth Swann: Keira Knightley
Captain Barbossa: Geoffrey Rush
Davy Jones: Bill Nighy
Lord Beckett: Tom Hollander
Tia Dalma: Naomie Harris

Directed by Gore Verbinski. Written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. Rated PG-13. (168 min)