Half of the line outside the theatre was dressed in pirate garbs, a testimony to the great expectation for the third film of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. And the movie certainly lives up to the hype, and provides for audiences around the nation the most entertaining of the series yet.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World?s End seems to begin some time after the second film concluded. The familiar characters arrive in Singapore, and the plot continues soon after the ending of the second film.

Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), and even Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) join forces once again in an attempt to band together the most notorious pirates from around the world to fight against the Flying Dutchman as well as its nefarious captain, Davy Jones (Bill Nighy).

First, however, they must secure a map to Davy Jones? locker from Chinese pirate Sao Feng (Cho Yun Fat) as to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from the dead. Only once all the pirates are united can they battle against Davy Jones and the East India Trading Company.

And while all the usual players are swashbuckling pirates, we still want them to win. Executive producer Mike Stenson provides his insight on why; ?When you?re growing up, you want to be a pirate,? Stenson said. ?You want to do something that?s about freedom, no rules, not dealing with authority.? Each day at school or at work, we have to deal authority and rules, which is exactly why the glance into the rebelliousness of Pirates is so entertaining.

As the crew endeavors to rescue Jack from the dead, it seems as if perhaps the plot had taken too much liberty with the fantasy setting. If rescuing someone from “Davy Jones’ Locker” is such an easy task, what’s the point in fighting against anyone?

The series has gradually transformed from plausible to complete fiction, but regardless, once logic was tossed aside, I realized that it is these qualities that make the series so much fun.

As soon as Jack Sparrow gets on screen, the typical antics commence; Johnny Depp has much more screen time in At World?s End than he did in Dead Man?s Chest. Depp gives us another great performance, right along with each and every actor in the film.

Pirates also wields amazing special effects. One scene the truly displays this well is when two pirate ships flank another ship, and blow it to smithereens; the captain walks down the deck as it explodes around him in slow motion; just following an intense sea battle in the middle of a giant maelstrom.

At times, the film seems to have too many loose storylines and are a little confusing. Many of the characters also seem unnecessary. However, most conflicts and confusion are tied-up by the end of the nearly three-hour movie. Moviegoers who see At World?s End before the other two Pirates movies will find themselves confused, as there is little introduction before the action picks up.

The third installment of the series is a little more violent and continues to deal with forces of the ‘other world’ more than the first two. These elements granted a great deal of intrigue and mystery to the darker storyline, yet for very young children, parents may wish to see the movie first for discretion. However, for audiences both young and old, the film has something great to offer.

Pirates III is now playing at most local theaters and across the nation. For more reviews visit Rotten Tomatoes.