Two and a half stars (out of four)

Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me?

The best thing about this movie is Elizabeth Swan. GIRL POWER! Elizabeth is one tough chick. I appreciate these strong female roles.

Johnny Depp is whimsical as Captain Jack, however I think all the characters lack depth. Overall the adventure is compelling. The sailing scenery is beautiful, and the peculiar escapades in the beginning excite you for what is to come.

Unfortunately, what comes is a storyline filled with twists and turns that left me with lots of questions. My son and I have seen all three "Pirates" movies and we are still confused.

Don't see this movie if you haven't seen the other two, and unfortunately you'll probably still be asking, "Huh?" I wanted a replay button. I won't give anything away, but there is a part of this movie that stinks! The rating is PG-13, and it needs to be -- big violence and lots of killing, some of it very graphic.

Additionally the movie was long. I think they could have told the same story in half the time. It's worth seeing on the big screen due to the big scenery, but the confusing storyline and the stinky part forces me to give only two-and-a-half stars.

-- Michele Griffin

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Two and a half stars (out of four)

AAAARRRRHHH! Let the swashbuckling begin!

Episode three starts up well with your basic pirate hanging en masse for crimes against the king. Then super chick pirate Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) is in very dark, lawless Singapore, when guess what? ... a pirate fight breaks out. Go figure!

Guns, knives and firework-lighting monkeys join the fray. Action, action o'plenty.

Then the next 70 minutes take us through Captain Jack Sparrow's (Johnny Depp) mind melt. Well, he is dead after all, but, alas, he doesn't know it. We pick up more action when evil vs. evil, good (well, sort of good) vs. evil and good vs. good (again, sort of)... you get the picture.

Captain Barbarossa (Geoffrey Rush), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and the rest of the bad, I mean good, well, sort of ... all betray each other at one time or another and then, then ... a wedding breaks out. Go figure!

I won't reveal who gets married but I'm sure you've figured out super chick pirate Elizabeth Swann is involved. As any quality pirate film requires, there are many sword fights, rope-swinging from the masts and ship-to-ship cannon blasts. The scenery is exquisite and the costumes outstanding. The special effects, computer-generated imagery (or CGI -- I just learned those initials), were wonderful. As for the story -- well, I had to keep reaching for my score card of which, alas, I had none. Beware, mateys, this movie is long.

-- Mike Griffin

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Three stars (out of four)

Johnny Depp makes a triumphant return as the incorrigible Captain Jack Sparrow. After Elizabeth (Keira Knightly), Will (Orlando Bloom) and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) rescue Jack from the land of the dead, they must face their rivals, Davey Jones and Lord Cutler Beckett. Beckett, who now has control of Jones' heart, forms a union with Davey in order to rule the seas and wipe out the last of the Pirates.

The final episode is full of surprises and great battle scenes. Depp executes the character of Captain Jack Sparrow superbly. I found the third chapter in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy the best.

This film is nearly three hours long, but the plot moves along seamlessly. While the action is plentiful, I was disappointed to find that the trilogy will actually be continuing in the form of a spin-off. Be sure to watch the epilogue after the final credits.

-- Jerry Swan