Characters are hanged -- including a young boy -- and their dead bodies are shown in a pile. Lots of pirates, British soldiers, and unlucky seamen are stabbed and blown up -- especially in the final hour. Younger children may be disturbed by the opening gallows sequence and by seeing major characters die.
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Elizabeth and Will kiss passionately. Several scantily dressed pirates' mistresses; a couple is discreetly shown dressing after marital sex, but there's no nudity. Captain Jack loves making sexual innuendos.
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Elizabeth and Tia Dalma are strong, fearless female characters, and the cast of this movie is much more diverse than the previous two. Despite several betrayals, Jack and Will sacrifice what they want most and act selflessly for the greater good. Jack often acts as though he has no morals or ethics, but he's true to a strange code of his own.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is the third installment of the Pirates franchise. It's packed with more death, action, and violence than most superhero flicks -- from the grim opening sequence in which Caribbean civilians (including a young boy) are led to the gallows to the climactic swashbuckling showdown. Since it's nearly three hours long, younger kids (or those with short attention spans) may not go the distance. And with so many double crosses and betrayals, the plot may even be confusing for adults. That said, thanks to Disney's ubiquitous merchandising and advertising campaigns, even 5-year-olds know who Captain Jack Sparrow is, so chances are your youngest kids will want to see it. But if they do, be prepared for them to wake up with nightmares. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
I haven't seen this movie in a while but i do remember a few things. First off, you should know there is a lot of violent and disturbing scenes especially at the beginning when people including a boy are hanged. There is a lot of fights. Also, there is a somewhat disturbing scene with Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in Davy Jone's locker where Jack is surrounded by copies of himself (he kills 2 of them). It has some humor to it (plus it's all a hallutionation) so it shouldn't be too disturbing. It may scare young ones though. As for any sexual stuff, there is a few innuendos and kisses but that's mostly it. No bad language, just pirate talk. Overall it is a good movie although it is 3 hours long. Go watch it!
Just like the last two, this one is also great. The special effects are incredible, the plot is twisty, and as usual, the acting is also very notable. I would absolutely recommend this movie to fans of the first two. However, there are two things that make this movie not so suitable for younger kids. First, the opening scene is at the gallows where a bunch of characters are put to death. And throughout the rest of the movie, there is some significant violence. Second, the plot gets a bit confusing, maybe too much so for younger viewers. But older kids will still be able to enjoy it. I find it pleasantly surprising that Disney was able to make all three in a row really good so far. I just hope they can do it again.
What's the Story?
Captain Jack (Johnny Depp) is back IN PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, living in the hallucinatory limbo of Davy Jones' Locker. While he's busy seeing imaginary clones of himself, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), and resurrected Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) travel to the Singapore. Their goal is to enlist pirate lord Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat) to help save Jack and join his fellow captains against the British, who are in control of Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) and his Flying Dutchman crew. But that's just the beginning -- basically, everyone's out for revenge. Will must free his father, Bootstrap Bill (Stellan Skarsgard), from Davy's cursed ship; Elizabeth finds herself an avenging pirate captain; and Barbossa and the mysterious Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris) are also up to no good. But never fear, matey: This is a Jerry Bruckheimer action flick, so everything turns up (mostly) roses. Some major characters die, disintegrate, or what have you, and others are revived. No one quite gets a perfectly happy ending, but at least Keith Richards shows up for a few minutes as Jack's hard-scrabble pirate pop. That tiny bit of perfect casting alone is worth the cost of the ticket.
Even though this series' third and supposedly final adventure is more action-packed than the first two sagas, it's still overlong and bewildering. There's no denying that the billion-dollar Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is wildly entertaining. But Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End has so many story developments and double-crossing betrayals that the confusing plot merits an encyclopedic fansite. Even hardcore fans of whodunit mysteries will be puzzled by the number of twists and turns.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what made kids want to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End -- the story or all the product and toy tie-ins. Do kids want something because Captain Jack is connected to it? And does the movie live up to all the hype?
Why is Jack such an appealing character?
Families can also discuss the Pirates franchise as a whole. Do you think there should be a fourth movie or is this one a good finale? Which movie do you like best, and why?
MPAA explanation:
intense sequences of action/adventure violence and some frightening images.
Last updated:
July 10, 2024
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Sandie Angulo Chen
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