Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, the third installment in the popular series lasts a whopping hundred-and-sixty seven minutes. Twenty minutes in and already feeling the need to go pee-pee, the film and I really couldn't have gotten off to a worse start, not helping the fact that it's a series I already had mixed feelings towards. The one line review simply, is that the film is far too long and overblown, seemingly lasting forever. Two hours too long? Perhaps. An hour too long? Definitely.

Continuing on from the half-realised conclusion of the previous film, At World's End continues the story of our non heroes attempting to rescue chief non-hero Captain Jack Sparrow -as played by Johnny Depp- from the depths of Davy Jone's Locker, in what are undoubtedly numerous scenes that had the present audience puzzled out of their mind and confused as to the meaning of why everything was so god-damn white. As a premise it's one that should be applauded, if only for it being utilised in the first place, but the vast expanse of nothing is without a doubt an incredibly surreal scene that does, every so often feel out of place, especially in regards to the other sand & sea locales involved. It's striking because of this impact it has on the viewers, but while incredibly delicious in it's own right, it's a segment that doesn't really gel with the film altogether- something that seems to be a curse on many of the other subplots involved in the two hour plus viewathon.

With the opening premise of the film wrapped up within the first hour, numerous additional myths and stories are added to the fray, all of which soon intertwine and twist within each other, much to mass confusion from the viewer involved. Stories and plots seem to come from nowhere at all, with even a preposterous subplot involving a Naiad getting a look in. Naturally some of the subplots and themes in the film work better than others, but there's a real heavy focus on events and ideas from past films to try and carry the franchise forward as a whole, something that's achieved with mixed results. Most baffling is the evolution of character Elizabeth Swann throughout the series. In an era and locale where woman are merely classed as second-citizen, derogatory sex objects, the notion of Keira Knightley progressing through the ranks to eventual role of "Pirate King" is complete lunacy, and an idea that's far from well thought out. Additional characters too have a complete lack of believability about them, with Orlando Bloom seemingly changing factions every ten minutes, again, something that adds to the frustration and confusion of the film overall.

As an action flick though, and with the film treated as a "leave your brain at home" viewing, At World's End succeeds magnificently. Swordfights, explosions, and loads of rope swinging simply are the order of the day, and the film in this respect is a pleasure to watch- a constant assault on the eyes. In a similar boat (no pun intended) are the CG effects, which dominate the majority of the film, but once again are pleasing and very convincing throughout, even if a disregard for physics is a recurring theme. Comedy too, a theatrical device used in the previous films, makes a return, often marking a complete release from plot(s) that take themselves far too seriously. Never anything more than slapstick, these scenes are surprisingly enjoyable, and perhaps, make the franchise what it is to begin with. While they don't make for knee-slapping hilarity, they are well peppered throughout the film and do provide plenty of laugh-out-load moments, though with the serious content of the film, they're moments that are forgotten all too shortly afterwards.

PotC is that recent Hollywood stereotype- the big-budget release with no expense spared and little creative planning beforehand, a rut that all films now seem to be stuck in. As such it completes it's objective well, perhaps entertaining more than what it really should, and certainly making for a fun night at the cinema, but the whole story is pretty disposable and nothing to get too concerned about. As the final installment of the franchise (well, for now), At World's End could, no, SHOULD be remarkably better than what it really is, but with plenty of eye candy and on screen fireworks, this is one film that should be seen at least once, if only for the visual treats on offer.