What’s better than Johnny Depp? Several Johnny Depps, a whole pirate shipload of them, all talking to each other in Davy Jones' locker, and fighting over a peanut.

After the events of Dead Man’s Chest, and the descent of Captain Jack Sparrow into Davy Jones’ netherworld, the nine Pirate Lords are called to a gathering to release the sea goddess Calypso from her human form, in hopes that she will come to their aid against the ravages of the East India Trading Company. But Sparrow is one of the nine Pirate Lords, so Barbarossa, Elizabeth and Will must go to World’s End to free him.

This involves a map that they must steal from Singapore Pirate Lord Sao Feng. The Singapore scenes are exciting and atmospheric, and with Chow Yun Fat as Sao Feng, At World’s End is already shaping up to be a worthy successor to the first two movies.

The third movie is full of surprises - Elizabeth become the pirate captain of her own ship, Tia Dalma turns out to be much more than she appears, and Davy Jones is momentarily transformed back into something ‘not so tentacley’ in the words of loony pirate Ragetti.

The dialogue is, as always, impeccable, and each actor delivers it with relish. Bill Nighy is a constant delight as Davy Jones, smacking his lips over certain words, while Tom Hollander as the sleazy Lord Cutler Beckett is a joy. Chow Yun Fat clearly relishes his role as Sao Feng, and as always, the Laurel and Hardy of the piece, Pintel and Ragetti, deliver the laughs. With so many scene stealers at work, it is hard to know where to look.

The scenes of the Pirate Lords’ gathering contain the best joke of all - Depp once said he based his portrayal of Jack Sparrow on Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, who makes a hilarious appearance as Sparrow’s dad, Captain Teague, the last word on Pirate Law. Sitting at ease and strumming his guitar, he looks perfectly at home in this star studded setting - after all, he may well have been a star longer than any of them.

It was a great coup, and it makes the movie just that bit more special. It is bittersweet, because the beloved couple Will and Elizabeth will not return for the fourth movie, but other cast favourites will be there, including Depp’s inimitable Jack Sparrow. But stayed tuned for the end of the credits of At World’s End - you wouldn’t want to miss the little treat at the end.

I saw this movie with my own funds.


Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)