Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

SYNOPSIS

Shot simultaneously with its predecessor Dead Man's Chest, this bloated third instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is a resounding disappointment. The swashbuckling insouciance of the original and the CGI spectacle of its sequel are gone, replaced here by talky plot exposition. At nearly three hours long, and with a notable absence of stand-out set pieces, the dull proceedings are only enlivened by Johnny Depp's louche pirate antihero Captain Jack Sparrow. He's a remarkable comic creation and a joy to watch, yet even his scurrilous charms are unable to illuminate a turgid script that seems more interested in trying to work out the limits of its own mythology than entertaining the audience. If you can endure the first two hours, the climactic sea battle is brilliantly shot and edited, and gives octopus-faced Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) another memorable outing. Elsewhere Rolling Stone Keith Richards - who inspired Depp's larger-than-life performance - has a brief but suitably ironic cameo.