I saw this last night. It’s better than number 2, and the final half hour is an accurate portrayal of the fight that the 8 or 9 writers must’ve had over what the plot should be. Thus, it’s a bit of a mess, and Mess is what the whole film is about. There are some lovely splintering-wood effects - I couldn’t tell if they were computer generated or not (I’d bet 95% that they were) - and every scene is bubbling over with loose cannons, crew, ropes, barrels, dirt, water, grime, and fish. The finale draws inspiration from a tornado in a landfill site, as far as sheer on-screen clutter goes.

The most interesting part was half way through when the curtains closed and the lights went up. Yes, the local Odeon actually had an intermission! I asked a steward why, and he said it was a trial “to see how it affected the retail situation”. That’s some traitorous honesty there. If any Odeon execs are reading, I suggest fitting employees with gags. From what I could tell, the retail situation could only have improved, as the (very large) crowd filtered out past the snack bar, and back in again ten minutes later. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t mind so much, as I did want to make a phone call half way through the film. And in a three hour long movie, there must’ve been more than a few who needed to go and help recycle the overpriced beverages. But it would’ve been nice if the studios had provided the film in two clean parts rather than have the cinema stop the film abruptly and restart it before opening the curtains.

With ticket prices already more than £7 per person, it’s bare-faced wallet squeezing, but hey! If they want to drive people to DVDs, that’s up to them. For the price of two tickets, it’s almost cheaper to have a month’s subscription to Lovefilm’s top end rental package. And although the muddled plot made it to difficult to figure out what the ultimate message of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is, I think Disney is trying to say that piracy is good honest fun, and cheaper even than renting.