tensions are riding high this weekend as we go into memorial weekend and wrap up the month of may with the release of 'pirates of the caribbean: at world's end'. it was only less than a year ago that the last installment 'dead man's chest' which was nothing but a jumbled mess of feeble jokes and not so exciting action sequences hit theaters. despite it being so dreadful it went on to be the highest grossing film of 2006 and the third biggest worldwide of all time. having said that, to me it's now certain more than ever that this one will have an equal, if not greater amount of success at the box office; seeing as how this supposed final addition is actually better than the last. the film opens with a scene of a filthy and downright disgusting lot of people in line awaiting death by hanging for their "crimes" of piracy. a young boy probably no more than ten years of age climbs the steps and saunters across the platform along with some of his fellow condemned. he soon starts singing the not quite uplifting but very stirring tune 'hoist the colours'. it's not long before the other doomed folks chime in and the call of a meeting of the pirate brethren is initiated by their hapless melody. now in the style of 'dead man's chest' i'm afraid that's all i will be disclosing as far as plot goes. yarrr, i know you be a hating me now. i will tell you though, seeing 'at world's end' was the most fun i've had at the theater all year. i can't even count the number of times i found myself smiling in pure delight. one thing that really surprised me was the level of acting. geoffrey rush was just as terrific as he was in the first film in his role as captain barbossa. out of all the 'pirates' cast he is the most believable actor as he delivers his lines with just the right mix of confidence and style. bill nighly did an excellent job once again as the half-human, half-mollusk ruler of the sea davy jones. sadly his character didn't have the same appeal to me because he wasn't his wicked self due to his situation until towards the films end. most importantly johnny depp whose role as captain jack went from clever to foolish the last time lands somewhere halfway between the two opposites. there were just as many times where he was sharp as he was insane. this actually resulted as an advantage by moving scenes along in a more appropriate way rather than keeping to only half-witted one liners. even with great performances there is only so much the cast can do with the scrip they are given, or in this case not. my biggest gripe here is what wasn't done. you would think in a film with a run-time of two hours and forty-five minutes it would be possible to accomplish many things. i was hoping to get to see all the pirate lords in action. the only new one (jack and barbossa are two of the nine members) we get a chance to learn about is captain sao feng, played by chow yun-fat. what they do with him is alright but i wanted to meet the others and really get a sense of each of their personalities. i honestly don't think that will be enough to make any difference in the eyes of the average viewer though. one thing that will though is the what everyone will be talking about; the maelstrom. it's a dazzling and absolutely spectacular scene where the breathtaking battle between the black pearl and flying dutchman takes place. the two ships swirl about as they fire cannons back forth attempting to obliterate the other. i have never seen a special effects sequence as epic as this. it contains no blurred action and practically oozes adrenaline from the screen. to make it even better the sound mixing was fantastic. if there's one reason to see this $300 million production it's that scene. yes it's true, i fell for this 'pirates'. for some reason even though there are a few other flaws, such as a minor issue that occurs on the black pearl in the amazing maelstrom i can't seem to find a way to not like this film. i'm in shock that i went from hating last years to almost loving this years. i'm sorry but it was just so damn enjoyable. yes i know i'll be hearing about how insane i am from a number of people for saying that and that's okay. it happens every year, the last time being 'night at the muesum'. sometimes i just can't help but turn off those critic instincts and just let go. i am human after all. - originally written on may 25, 2007