There’s an unwritten rule in the world of film reviewing . . . the more reticent a distributor is to give a media preview, the worse the movie probably is, writes our Movie Blogger Carl Jones.
Famous turkeys like The Avengers with Uma and Ralph Fiennes, where no media previews were allowed at all, stand as memorable proof.

So it was with some trepidation that I approached a sneak-peek of the third and final Pirates of the Caribbean movie, At World’s End.

At least let’s hope it’s the final one.

Journalists were denied the chance of viewing this latest big-budget spectacle until late Monday night, less than three days before its general release.
It’s clear to see why, because in the same week that the Cutty Sark went up in flames, we bear witness to a second maritime disaster.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End is not a complete shipwreck but it sails perilously close, capsizing in the first hour under the weight of audience expectation.
The goodwill generated by the first two adventures – the first of which was fabulous fun – will guarantee healthy box office receipts in the opening weekend. But after that,
when word of mouth keeps a film going, it will surely tail off disappointingly.

The screenwriters clearly assume we’ve seen the previous two adventures, since there’s no time for polite introductions. Instead, we plunge full steam ahead with the quest to rescue Captain Jack (Johnny Depp) from Davy Jones’ locker.
Falling foul of a pact forged with the multi-tentacled Davy, Jack finds himself consigned to purgatory.
Thankfully, lovebirds Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) have joined forces with Captain Barbossa (Rush) to rescue Jack from walking the plank to eternal damnation.
They head to Singapore to meet with Chinese pirate Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat), in the hope of creating an alliance against the despicable East India Trading Company, which now controls Davy and his vessel, The Flying Dutchman.
The meeting with Sao Feng ends in bloodshed and Will, Elizabeth, Barbossa and their shipmates barely escape with their lives.
They head to the very edge of the world in search of Jack, where Barbossa helpfully informs his crew: “It’s not getting to The Land Of The Dead that’s the problem . . . it’s getting back!”
Meanwhile, Lord Cutler Beckett, who commands the troops of the East India Trading Company, bides his time, waiting for the perfect moment to destroy the pirates.
Rumbustious action set pieces, augmented with spectacular computer generated effects, dominate this third instalment, while Johnny Depp looks interminably bored with his salty seadog character.

At times, it seems he barely musters the energy to deliver a performance. Must be tough, having to spend all that time shooting on St Vincent in the Caribbean!!!
There are some highlights, though – the overblown action sequences are thrilling as expected, including skirmishes on the high seas with boats blown to smithereens by cannon fire, and Keith Richards’ delicious appearance as Sparrow Snr, strumming a guitar and dispensing cryptic advice to his wastrel son is highly amusing.
Knightley is also thrust further to the fore in this third film, usurping both Bloom and Depp by flinging herself into the melee with some impressive sword fights . . . and less than impressive rousing speeches which, miraculously, everyone listens to.
And the romantic backstory involving Elizabeth and Will is soaked with saccharine, and reeking of ridicule.
If you haven’t seen the far more enjoyable first two films, there’s very little point seeing At World’s End.
And if you have, you’ll simply be disappointed that it fails to come close to living up to their standards.

What do you think? Are you a fan of the Pirates films or have they already sunk without trace? Have your say below.