POTC - At World's End

She was a 1950 Chevy pick-up. Hardwood bed. Curved windows in the cab corners. Foot starter. Straight Six engine. Black with lots of chrome. She was my first vehicle and my father lovingly called her The Black Pearl. Perhaps that was the start of my love affair with pirate stories.

The first "Pirates of the Caribbean" was a true pirate movie. The second was a disappointing monster movie with pirates in it. And, as with most 3-quels, the middle movie is just a set up for the third. This latest installment, "At World's End", just out on DVD, is back to formula and better. It is darker. It is full of character evolution. It is full of emotion. It has Keith Richards, who clearly skipped the make-up and wardrobe departments, and nobody noticed.

This third "Pirates" movie was not as funny as the first, but pirate stories are not always supposed to BE funny. Sometimes they are sad. Sometimes, the bad guys win. Sometimes rotten things happen to rotten characters. That's what we love about pirate stories.

Make sure you stick with the movie, even past the credits. And join me on the cliffs overlooking Dana Strand to watch for green flashes.