Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End is overly long and a bit convoluted, but it is a fitting continuation of the popular franchise based on the famed Disneyland ride. But then it should be duly noted that I don't have a strong emotional connection to this series. Hell, I actually preferred the second film to the first, putting me in the minority. Where does this entry rank in the grand scheme of things? Well, I still prefer the second but, despite it's bloated, long winded running time, I found myself enjoying this one more than the original.

At World's End picks up shortly after the events that occurred in Dead Man's Chest. Elizabeth Swan, Will Turner, and Barbossa set out to rescue Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones' locker in hopes that he can aid them in their quest to defeat the villainous Lord Beckett, a smarmy British commander out to destroy the Brethren.

That's the short end of the plot. To go into a detailed description would take more pages than this film's screenplay. Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End clocks in at a whopping two hours and fifty five minutes, but strangely, I was never really bored by it. Sure, there's sub plots that should have been left out (such as the mythical Calypso scenario) and the film could have easily been trimmed in dozens of other areas, but the fact remains that the movie does deliver as promised. It always feels like a great big pirate movie. That's why I feel safe in proclaiming this the best part 3 of the summer thus far.

At World's End suffers in many of the same areas as the recent Spider-Man 3 (length, unnecessary plot threads etc.), but Raimi's film had a hard time recovering. Pirates 3 benefits from a consistency that Spider-Man 3 was sorely lacking.

The key to At World's End's success lies in it's stellar production value. Not only are the special effects astonishing (Davy Jones is still a marvelous bit of motion capture brilliance), but the art direction is simply breathtaking. At World's End transports the audience into another time and place and that's what a film of this nature should do. It's just a beauty to behold. Much of the film's dreamy visual style reminded me of a Terry Gilliam movie (most notably, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen).

The screenplay by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio is messy, but all the questions you might have pertaining to these characters are answered, and the film is also a high energy mix of various genres. Yes, this is a big, bloated pirate movie but it's also a ghost story, a romance, a comedy, and a western. With all that's going on, Elliot and Rossio make a slight error in judgement by throwing things in that don't really need to be there (like the aforementioned Calypso sub plot), and introducing bits of information that are somewhat bewildering (Bootstrap Bill appears to be suffering from Alzheimer's – when did that happen). There's also a silly proposal sequence that, while shot extremely well, doesn't really work because it simply comes out of left field. It's completely out of context.

Also, take note that At World's End is considerably darker than it's predecessors. There are hangings, bullets to the head, and numerous stabbings, and while this is hardly RRRRRRRR rated material, think twice before taking the little ones. I would use The Lord of the Rings series as a barometer. If they're old enough for that, they're old enough for this.

The cast is absolutely solid. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley have settled nicely into these characters (although Knightley's big Braveheart speech is overblown), but the show really belongs to Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush. Depp is back as wily Jack Sparrow, and while he still has that swishy strut and rock star swagger, he's more of a fully textured character. In the first film he took a back seat, and now, he's the star of the show. While the trademark humor is still in tact, this Jack Sparrow has matured a bit.

It's great to have Geoffrey Rush's Barbossa back as well. Reduced to a mere cameo in the second film, Barbossa plays a much more prominent role this time around. What can I say? This guy's a true pirate, and he and Depp are the driving force behind this epic movie.

There are other familiar faces including bumbling supporting players Mackenzie Crook and Lee Arenberg, who are, more or less, the Abbot and Costello of the pirate world. Bill Nighy is also back as the scary Davy Jones. Naomie Harris returns as the mysterious Tia Dalma, and her role has been fleshed out in one of the film's more unnecessary plot threads. Finally we have Tom Hollander whose rather tepid as bad guy Lord Beckett. I would have preferred someone more lively in the role.

There are new faces introduced to the Pirates universe as well. Chow Yun Fat appears as Asian pirate Sao Feng. While this famed Hong Kong performer is a commanding screen presence, his talent is under utilized in this movie. Finally, we have the arrival of rock star Keith Richards, who, for those unaware, was instrumental in Johnny Depp's creation of the Jack Sparrow character. I won't divulge who Richards plays here, but I will say it's a fabulous but all too brief appearance, and an absolute highlight in the movie.

Director Gore Verbinski has rushed head on into a major undertaking. At World's End is massive in scope. It's much bigger than the previous films. And to his credit, Pirates 3 is stunning to look at. In particular, I love the way he shoots the effects-heavy action sequences. We can actually see what's going on. There's nothing worse than a muddled action sequence, and thankfully, Verbinski is extremely adept at shooting a film of this scope.

Whether or not this is the last Pirate film remains to be seen. Without giving too much away, the door has been left wide open, and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing another one. Should they chose to do it though, I hope it includes Jack Sparrow - one of the zaniest, memorable character creations in recent memory. I mean seriously, what would a pirate movie be without Capn' Jack Sparrow?

On a final note, stick around through the end credits. There is a scene at the end of the reel and while it's a short one, it does offer up a sense of closure.