Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) has Davy Jones' (Bill Nighy) heart in possession, which makes him ruler of the sea now. He is on a greater mission to destroy piracy once and for all. The only hope to defeat such a big force against the entire community of pirates, is to awaken the heathen god Calypso, to which would require Nine of the Eights and mutual agreements from 9 of the Pirate Lords. Since Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is one of them and he is trapped in Davy Jones' Locker, his crew is on their way to rescue him, and by doing so, they would save all the pirates too!
Comparatively to the other 2 films prior, At World's End is darker in tone, which is absolutely necessary to signify the loss in hope for all pirates as the whole world is being gruesome towards them, while preserving the comical DNA of the franchise. At one point where Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) coincidentally discovers her dead father on the way back from world's end, the balance does miss the symmetrical line and gets a little melodramatic. But, this stages up a solid dramatic need for the character, to avenge! From then on, we could observe how the character grows.
The writing is damned good! It might seem that Jack Sparrow's actions are random and he is going with the flow. But watch closely, all the way around, he knows what he has been doing. His overall scheme is so unforeseen & brilliant! He's been planning all the way to free himself from Davy Jones, as his dramatic need wasn't achieved in the previous movie. But, we will never know whether he had it all figured out in his head or he's just a lucky fellow. Also, it may seem like all three of the principal characters are betraying each other from time to time, but in turn they're actually helping each other in succeeding with their respective goals. This is the intelligence of the writing!
The feature picks up from where the previous film left off, in terms of characters' motivations too. Betrayals and actions make sense. The dealing back and forth sequence is really well done, and transpirations happen at opportune moments. Even the relationship between Will and Elizabeth are handled with care. Just when you can't wait to feast your eyes on Jack Sparrow, enters the hero! His hallucinations, reactions and ship being assisted by pebble crabs are awesome to watch! There's fairly even depth given to Davy Jones as we learn more about his past, what he's like before having tentacles, the way he despises love and how he has to stand in a bucket of water if at all he wants to set foot on land before the 10-year period. From the point he wipes off the tear drop, you understand his rage and wrath! On a side note, Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa is too good!
Little nuances like the pirates' song being sung has importance to the plot too. Adventure out of Davy Jones' Locker by rocking and toppling down the ship to mean 'up is down' is impressively done! The compass constantly has a role to play, even in this episode. Sao Feng's misconception about Elizabeth for Calypso laces well into the script. Davy Jones' shipmen think they could take command of The Flying Dutchman after James Norrington's (Jack Davenport) demise, but couldn't because of the abundant presence of opponents shows concrete writing. There are numerous homages paid to the very first Pirates of the Caribbean, such as using leverage to escape captive gate, captain conflict between Barbossa and Sparrow with the former stealing The Black Pearl from the latter once again, and the duo officers who argue over little things and miss out on the bigger ones.
When the humor hits, it hits! Captain Teague (Keith Richards) showing off Jack's mum's skull, laughing at gunpoint as pirates will be pirates always with their own motivations becoming priorities when clouds are clear, monkey pointing a gun at parrot and parrot asking for parley after working hitherto, Sri Sumbhajee Angria's mouse voice, Chinese pirate plucking off his toe, Pintel (Lee Arenberg) and Ragetti (Mackenzie Crook) tying themselves upside down and launching monkey in a cannon later on are sure to tickle your funny bones!
With these being said, yes, at times when incidents are unfolding too quickly, the plot is mistaken to be convoluted. A certain spacing in between occurrences could have been employed. Marriage during a warfare is silly. It's rushed so that the makers could make us feel for the misfortune that lands upon the couple. Ten years on sea, one day on land is a painfully felt ordeal by the way. Sao Feng's death is convenient. The biggest bite of all would be the change in Tia Dalma's (Naomie Harris) persona and personality. It's drastic from Dead Man's Chest! The fact that she is the lover of Davy Jones appears to be a forced, shoehorned-in plot point. This is because in the preceding picture, she talks about the legend of Davy Jones as if she has no connection with it or whatsoever. She narrates it from a third person's point of view. Therefore, this sudden reshape is out of nowhere. But, fair light is shun upon the captain's love story as teased in the second instalment.
Gore Verbinski's world expansion on this one is spectacular! The scope of this universe is much, much bigger now. We are introduced to the oriental part of the pirates society via Captain Sao Feng (Chow Yun-fat). Through the Brethren Court gathering, it's refreshing & multidimensional to see more ethnicities involved. It is always merrier when directors can think on a global scale. Vertical waters of the ocean, coldness of the glaciers, corpses floating across seas and on boats, horizon-less white landscape of Davy Jones' Locker and pirates' codex are strenuous & thorough world building!
The esteemed director steers this adventure in a composed nature! Dariusz Wolski's cinematography has perfect framing! Monologues and dialogues are great! Again, practical, special and visual effects are beyond remarkable! Just look at how Davy Jones is onscreen! His appearance alone is your money's worth! Dead cephalopod, Jack's devil & angle on both sides of shoulders, Barbossa's arm transforming into skeleton, Tia Dalma growing big and dispersing into crabs, Jack's imaginary ghost crew licking his brain matter and Bootstrap (Stellan Skarsgård) attached as part of the ship are achievements to be lauded for!
War finale is epic! When all colors are hoisted, goosebumps creep up our limbs. When Calypso opens up a whirl-wave hole in the ocean as rain falls, chills are sent down our spines! Although knowing that the pirates are in great disadvantage, we set off to a duel between two of the most infamous ships of all time - The Black Pearl and The Flying Dutchman! Davy Jones & Jack Sparrow swashbuckling on top of tiers for the chest, Jack swinging from line to line, tentacle crawling with key, Davy Jones infusing his facial tentacles into Mr. Mercer and bending the sword thrusted into his back are fantastic scenes! When the antagonist stabs Will Turner right at his heart, it's shocking!
As Endeavor is destroyed by The Flying Dutchman and The Black Pearl, Lord Beckett walks in awe realizing how Sparrow's plans and events transpired turn out to be good business! The way it's shot is beautiful and powerful! Elizabeth Swann's revenge is settled, Jack Sparrow is free since Davy Jones is no more, and Will Turner replaces him as the Captain of The Flying Dutchman. The crew become humans again, with father-son reuniting as well. What a great resolution for every of the characters! Initially, At World's End is intended to be the end of a trilogy. But, as Fountain of Youth is mentioned at the resolution, we are waiting to sail with our favorite Jack Sparrow for the next adventure, using the stolen navigational chart!