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Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Buena Vista Pictures

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 50 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
5.4 out of 10
based on 36 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 485 votes
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MPAA RATING: PG-13 for intense sequences of action/adventure violence and some frightening images

Starring Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport, Bill Nighy, Jonathan Pryce, and Lee Arenberg

In the follow-up to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, we find our heroes Will Turner (Bloom) and Eizabeth Swann (Knightley) allied with Captain Barbossa (Rush) in a desperate quest to free Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) from his mind-bending trap in Davy Jones Locker while the terrifying ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman and Davy Jones, under the control of the East India Trading Company, wreaks havoc across the seven seas. (Walt Disney Pictures)


GENRE(S): Action  |  Adventure  |  Comedy  |  Fantasy  
WRITTEN BY: Ted Elliott (also characters)
Terry Rossio (also characters)
Stuart Beattie (characters)
Jay Wolpert (characters)
 
DIRECTED BY: Gore Verbinski  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: December 4, 2007 
Theatrical: May 25, 2007 
RUNNING TIME: 168 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

88
Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
The most visually spectacular, action-packed and surreal of the adventures of Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp).
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75
Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
I won't be able to talk anybody into or out of the Pirates of the Caribbean experience now, so I'll simply offer sage advice: Hit the bathroom just before it starts. To miss any five-minute chunk of this densely plotted trilogy-capper will leave you confused.
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70
Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano
Exciting, distracting and quite possibly permanently concentration impairing, what Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End offers is a wonderfully scenic medley of impressive action sequences so lengthy, elaborate and numerous that remembering what came before becomes a kind of test of mental focus.
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70
The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen
More than ever, Depp masterfully keeps the enterprise afloat, even when the sheer weight of all those other characters threatens to throw it off-course.
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70
The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis
The cannibals, coconuts and landlocked locations have been replaced by the high-seas high jinks that made the first film so enjoyable.
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70
Washington Post Stephen Hunter
Funner, biggerer, brighterer, bolderer, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is not only okay, it may even be close to good. A lavish spectacle illuminated by Johnny Depp's swishing pirate captain, the movie has its dull moments, but not many.
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70
Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall
Depp plays multiple versions of Sparrow, who now suffers from a split personality; his shtick is funny, but the players are all upstaged by the astonishing special effects, superior to those of earlier installments in creating a wondrous and menacing world.
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67
Christian Science Monitor Peter Rainer
Depp and Rush are still in there plugging away. They’re troupers, but the series is all used up. If there is to be another sequel it will have to be called "Pirates of the Caribbean – At Wit's End."
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63
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
It's almost three hours long, and that's a lot of time to invest in what is, essentially, a theme-park attraction you can't ride.
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63
Boston Globe Ty Burr
You can bet your parrot "Pirates" will be back, even if "At World's End" hasn't the foggiest idea when to quit.
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63
New York Daily News Jack Mathews
A sumptuous feast for the eyes and an occasionally exhilarating stimulant to the heart. But beware my hearty: It will tie your rum-soaked brain in knots.
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63
ReelViews James Berardinelli
The last 60 minutes offer adventure as rousing as anything provided in either of the previous installments. Unfortunately, that doesn't account for the other 108 minutes of this gorged, self-indulgent, and uneven production.
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60
Empire Helen O'Hara
The plot's a trippy, twisty mess, and it's far too long, but it looks fantastic and makes some bold choices in its execution. And once again Jack's back to save the day.
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60
Variety Brian Lowry
The third voyage in the "Priates" trilogy could be touted as "The biggest, loudest and second-best (or second-worst) 'Pirates' ever!" -- not necessarily a ringing endorsement, but honest.
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60
Slate Dana Stevens
Like all abstract art, At World's End is best approached non-narratively, as an experience rather than a story.
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60
Film Threat Pete Vonder Haar
The action IS pretty engaging, Sao Feng and his gang of South Asian cutthroats are a nice addition, and the constant plot explication does require you to pay attention.
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58
Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
It's an even more tedious storytelling mess, with a plot so muddled it's impossible to accurately describe, generating zero interest in its characters and grinding on for nearly three endless hours.
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50
Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
The longest and talkiest installment in the blockbuster Pirates trilogy, At World's End doesn't even have the decency to provide a good action sequence until more than two hours in.
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50
Premiere Ethan Alter
Even Depp's increasingly tired antics can't lighten the dour mood; in fact, Sparrow is completely overshadowed here by Rush's lively turn as Barbossa.
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50
Newsweek David Ansen
The longest, grimmest and least funny of the trilogy.
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50
Rolling Stone Peter Travers
The good news first: Keith Richards totally rocks it playing pirate daddy to Johnny Depp's Capt. Jack Sparrow. The deep rumble of his voice and those hooded eyes that narrowly open like the creaky gates of hell make him what the rest of this three-peat is not: authentically scary...So what's the bad news? Richards is onscreen for barely two minutes.
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50
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Knightley's Elizabeth becomes a pirate captain this time. You know a franchise has run its course when it has a buccaneer heroine who looks as if she'd hate to get her face smudged.
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50
New York Post Lou Lumenick
It's not a total shipwreck, but abandon hope all ye seeking a coherent, much less satisfying, narrative. Expect instead a reported $300 million worth of eye candy, delivered with enormous technical skill.
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50
Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
Ultimately the voyage is so choppy and long (2 hours, 48 minutes) that into the third hour I found myself yawning, "Yo-ho-hum and a very sore bum."
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42
The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
What started out as a fleet one-off swashbuckler with novel supernatural elements has become loaded and graceless, with each new entry barreling across the goal line like William "The Refrigerator" Perry.
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40
Village Voice Nathan Lee
Long before the third, fourth, or fifth climax in this endless, obligatory summer diversion, I slunk into my seat in a passive, inattentive stupor, fully submitting to the fact that I hadn't the slightest idea what the hell was going on.
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40
The New Yorker Anthony Lane
"Gentlemen, I wash my hands of this weirdness," Captain Jack says. Sir, you speak for us all.
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40
Time Richard Schickel
Their film is not so much thought out as strung together -- colorful incident upon colorful incident, but without logic, gathering suspense or any attempt to establish emotional connections between audience and actors.
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40
Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
Like the Flying Dutchman, this third Pirates outing is an empty vessel haunted by the ghosts of its sabre-rattling betters.
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40
Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek
This is a glazed, inhuman, cluttered piece of work, a storytelling mishmash that buries the considerable charms of its actors under heavy drifts of silt.
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40
Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
A ponderous pirate saga, 168 minutes long, with more doldrums than "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." Those doldrums are relieved from time to time by spectacular effects.
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38
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen
The whole d--- thing can be summed up in three little words: yo ho hum.
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38
USA Today Claudia Puig
The pirate ship has hit foul waters, and even the sharp wit and charm of everyone's favorite buccaneer can't save it.
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33
Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
A movie made at wits' end. There are four or five authentic laughs in the whole 170-minute extravaganza.
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33
Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy
The loudest, dumbest, slowest, least entertaining and most annoying by a very comfortable margin.
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25
San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
Has no narrative throughline, no emotional spine. It's a mess.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 5.4 (out of 10) based on 485 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Stacy K. gave it a9:
I loved this movie! I dont think it was better than the second one, but it was definatly good. I follow these movies prety good! My fav. character is Will Turner!

matrix1004 gave it a2:
Dear Pirates 3, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU. You suck & are terrible. You are so bad, in fact, that you almost make Pirates 2 look like Pirates 1. And that is saying a lot! How could something so great (Pirates 1) turn into this and get so progressively worse? I hope you enjoy the company at the top of my Worst/Most Hated Movies Ever list.

[Anonymous] gave it a9:
It was actually good. Not as good as its predecessor but good.

AncplAEHH c gave it a10:
The crabs were pushing sparrow's boat since he was in davy jones' locker and he was going insane. and by the way, this movie was awesome

Brandon S gave it a9:
I went in with low expectations after reading so many bad reviews - But this movie was really fantastic. Not as good as the first, which is a true classic, but much, much better than the second. Whereas the second film was a meandering mess with no point, this was a grand, twisting and turning adventure - with a purpose. Though overlong, it nevertheless had great action sequences, humor, plot twists, and characters that make sense - because they act with devoted self-interest. A truly satisfying epic.

fred bob gave it a5:
Did not live up to the first two at all. I loved the first films.. but his one .... i really did not like. Hope they make another one and save the series!

maya s gave it a10:
No movie could ever compare to the first POTC movie. I agree the last to movies were long and hard to follow. I still enjoyed them though. The third was much better than the second. Unfortunately you really have to think hard and catch everything to make sense of these sequels. But with enough thought the movies are overall clever. Yes a little far fetched but good. If they make a forth I will go and see it. Oh and for you people saying bad things about Johnny Depp, without him these movies would have been pointless. He is awesome. And Knightley is a talented young actress.

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