Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End Review

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End


Release Date: 24th May 2007 - Australia


Production Companies
Walt Disney Pictures (presents)
Jerry Bruckheimer Films (in association with)

Second Mate Productions

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Australia


Genre: Action/Adventure/

Fantasy

Rating: M

Runtime: 168 minutes


Budget: $300,000,000

Box Office Gross: $960,996,492 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann and Captain Barbossa take on the almost impossible task of rescuing Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones' Locker? And enlist the support of the other pirate lords to combat the forces of Lord Beckett and Davy Jones (under Beckett's control).

Cast

Johnny Depp - Captain Jack Sparrow

Geoffrey Rush - Hector

Barbossa

Bill Nighy - Davy Jones

Orlando Bloom - Will Turner

Keira Knightley - Elizabeth

Swann

Jack Davenport - Norrington

Jonathan Pryce - Governor Weatherby Swann

Keith Richards - Captain Teague

Kevin McNally - Joshamee Gibbs

Stellan Skarsgård - Bootstrap Bill

Chow Yun-Fat - Captain Sao Feng

Lee Arenberg - Pintel

Mackenzie Crook - Ragetti

Tom Hollander - Cutler Beckett

Naomie Harris - Tia Dalma

David Bailie - Cotton

Martin Klebba - Marty

David Schofield - Mercer

Alex Norton - Captain Bellamy

Dermot Keaney - Maccus

Andy Beckwith - Clanker

Clive Ashborn - Koleniko

Reggie Lee - Tai Huang

Christopher Adamson - Jimmy Legs

Jonathan Linsley - Oglively

John Boswell - Wyvern

Max Baker - Burser

Steve Speirs - Quartermaster

Greg Ellis - Lt. Theodore Groves

Giles New - Murtogg

Angus Barnett - Mullroy

Lauren Maher - Scarlett

Vanessa Branch - Giselle

Dominic Scott Kay - Henry Turner

Crew

Director/Musician - Gore Verbinski

Based on Characters/Writers - Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio

Based on Characters - Stuart Beattie and Jay Wolpert

Script Supervisor - Sharron Reynolds

Executive Producers - Mike Stenson, Chad Oman and Bruce Hendricks

Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager - Eric McLeod

Producer - Jerry Bruckheimer

Head Animal Trainer - Mark Harden

Animal Coordinator - Boone Narr

Casting Director - Denise Chaiman

Production Designer - Rick Heinrichs

Creature Concepts - Mark 'Crash' McCreery

Conceptual Consultant/

Storyboard Artist - James Ward Byrkit

Supervising Art Director - John Dexter

Art Directors - William Ladd Skinner, Bruce Crone and William Hawkins

Assistant Art Directors - Nick Navarro, Darrell L. Wright, Clint Wallace and Eric Sundahl

Set Decorator - Cheryl Carasik

Property Master - Kris Peck

Master Armourer - Harry Lu

Costume Designer - Penny Rose

Associate Costume Designer - John Norster

Costume Supervisor - Jessica Pazdernik

Costume Supervisor: Location - Ken Crouch

Makeup Effects Creator/Department Head -

Ve Neill

Makeup Effects Supervisor/Key Makeup Artist -

Joel Harlow

Additional Makeup Supervisor/Tattoo Designer -

Ken Diaz

Makeup Mechanical Supervisor - Russell Shinkle

Chief Hair Stylist/Stylist: Johnny Depp - Martin Samuel

Director of Photography - Dariusz Wolski

Director of Photography: Aerial Unit -

David B. Nowell

Underwater Director of Photography -

Peter Zuccarini

Additional Photography - Ben Seresin

Camera/Steadicam Operators -

David Luckenbach and P. Scott Sakamoto

Camera Operators - Martin Schaer

and Chris Mosley

Aerial Coordinator - David Paris

Dive Master - Alex Krimm

Production Supervisor - Thomas Hayslip

Unit Production Manager - Douglas C. Merrifield

First Assistant Director - David H. Venghaus Jr.

Additional First Assistant Director - Peter Kohn

Supervising Location Manager - Laura Sode-Matteson

Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator -

George Marshall Ruge

Second Unit Director/Visual Effects Supervisor -

Charles Gibson

Sword Master/Stunt Double: Geoffrey Rush/

Bill Nighy - Thomas DuPont

Picture Boat Coordinator - Will White

Transportation Coordinator - Dave Robling

Special Effects Supervisor - John Frazier

Special Effects Coordinator: Bahamas -

Allen Hall

Special Effects Gimbal Foreman: Bahamas -

Mark Hawker

Visual Effects Supervisor - John Knoll

Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM - Roger Guyett

Visual Effects Supervisors: Digital Domain -

Erik Nash and Bryan Grill

Senior Visual Effects Supervisor: Asylum -

Nathan McGuinness

Visual Effects Supervisor: Asylum - Phil Brennan

Visual Effects Supervisor: The Orphanage -

Kevin Baillie

Visual Effects Supervisor: CIS Hollywood -

Bryan Hirota

Visual Effects Supervisor: Pacific Title and

Art Studios - David Sosalla

Visual Effects Producer: ILM - Jill Brooks

Visual Effects Art Director: ILM - Aaron McBride

Digital Production Supervisor: ILM - David Meny

Animation Supervisor: ILM - Hal T. Hickel

Animation Supervisor: The Orphanage -

David Andrews

Associate Animation Supervisor: ILM - Marc Chu

Layout Supervisor: ILM - Jason H. Snell

Composting Supervisor: ILM - Eddie Pasquarello

Creature Development Supervisor: ILM -

James Tooley

Creature Model Supervisor: ILM - Geoff Campbell

Digital Model Supervisors: ILM - Bruce Holcomb

and Steve Walton

Models and Miniatures Unit Supervisors: Kerner

Optical - Charles Bailey, Geoff Heron,

Carl Miller, Marty Rosenberg and

Pat Sweeney

Editors - Craig Wood and Stephen Rivkin

Additional Editor - Daniel P. Hanley

Supervising Sound Editor/Designer/

Sound Mixer: Skywalker Sound - Christopher Boyes

Supervising Sound Editor - George Watters II

Additional Sound Design - Tim Nielsen

and Christopher Scarabosio

Sound Effects Editors - Ken Fischer,

Shannon Mills, J.R. Grubbs, Addison Teague

and David C. Hughes

Sound Mixer - Lee Orloff

Sound Mixer: Skywalker Sound - Paul Massey

Additional Sound Mixers - James Bolt

and Lora Hirschberg

Music - Hans Zimmer

Composer: Additional Music/Conductor -

Nick Glennie-Smith

Composers: Additional Music - Lorne Balfe,

Tom Gire, Henry Jackman, John Sponsler,

Geoff Zanelli and Atli Orvarsson

Music Supervisor - Bob Badami

Score Recordist and Mixer - Alan Meyerson

Awards

2008 Academy Awards
Best Makeup - Ve Neill and Martin Samuel (Nominated)
Best Visual Effects - John Knoll, Charles Gibson,

Hal T. Hickel and John Frazier (Nominated)

Review

AT WORLD'S END was supposed to be the grand finale of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. There were two more movies to come, including On Stranger Tides. However, this eventuality did not detract from the spectacle of AT WORLD'S END. This instalment is a highly intricate but less daring adventure fantasy movie. Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer were the masterminds behind its reduced swashbuckling action. It felt like this instalment was so convoluted it could sink into the ocean depth.

Like Dead Man's Chest, it's not as entertaining as the first movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl. The second and third films are linked in plot and glamorously over-produced for definite success at the box office. Despite this, none had the same charm as the original. Because of this, fans might find this film jarring and not quite the fantasy adventure film we've expected. It creates an inconsistent tone that has drawn the film onto a new path. The storyline proved confusing and required more concentration than viewers might have realised. The pirates have an implosion rather than a united fight against their adversaries.

Keith Richards was a bold casting choice for Jack Sparrow's dad, which is fitting given that Depp famously modelled his Jack Sparrow on the musician himself.

AT WORLD'S END is a decent movie but is short of eight pieces. I recommend this film to all audiences but don't expect it to live up to the original.

Star rating: (6/10) Fair Movie

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In Memory of Max von Sydow (1929-2020)

Max von Sydow (1929-2020)

The Swedish-born actor Max von Sydow died at the ripe old age of 90 on March 8th, 2020. He was famous in Sweden in 11 movies directed by Ingmar Bergman, such as "The Seventh Seal", and internationally in films like "The Exorcist", "Flash Gordon", "Dune", "Hannah and Her Sisters", "Awakenings", "Minority Report" and "Shutter Island".

Max was a seasoned veteran, and his career had spanned almost seven decades, starting in 1949 when he made his screen debut. In the mid-1950s, Max got approached by filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, who, at the time, was the chief director of Malmö City Theatre. The first film they made together in 1957 was "The Seventh Seal", in which von Sydow portrays a disillusioned knight from the 14th century who has returned to Sweden after fighting in the Crusades. The film has an iconic scene when he plays a chess game with Death. Von Sydow's acting profile was rising, working extensively in his homeland of Sweden. Several times, he got approached for international roles in "Dr. No" and "The Sound of Music" but turned them down. It wasn't until 1965 that Sydow played the biblical figure, Jesus Christ, in the epic movie "The Greatest Story Ever Told". While the film marked his international debut, it was not an instant success at the box office. In 1973, Sydow gained worldwide success for portraying Father Lankester Merrin in William Friedkin's terrifying horror feature "The Exorcist". He later repeated his role in the sequel "Exorcist II: The Heretic".

In 1989, von Sydow received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his performance in "Pelle the Conqueror" and in 2012 for Best Supporting Actor in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close". Max had other notable film roles in his profile, including playing a crop-dusting pilot in "The Reward", a reverend in "Hawaii", as well as Ming the Merciless in the cult sci-fi movie "Flash Gordon". He also appeared in numerous other films such as "Conan the Barbarian", "Dune", "Hannah and Her Sisters", "Ghostbusters II", "Awakenings", "Minority Report", "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly","Shutter Island" and "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens". Outside of his movie appearances, Von Sydow has appeared on television. Including a guest voice in "The Simpsons" and portraying the Three-Eyed Raven in "Game of Thrones", the latter had him nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. He even lent his voice to video gaming, portraying Esbern in "Skyrim".

My condolences go to his family and friends.

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