2007 – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Here we are again with the Pirates and their crazy antics. So what new innovations did they bring to the table this time? Was it enough to earn them their nomination? At first, I thought, no, it wasn’t. The film had many of the same effects we saw in the second film, Dead Man’s Chest. But then the climax of the movie arrived, and I understood why this movie was nominated for the Best Visual Effects category.
But let me back up. One of my favorite effects in both that earlier film and this one, was the fully CGI character of Davey Jones. The man with the tentacled face was not only a pretty cool character, but the amazing effects that the animators applied to his constantly moving tentacles were amazing. And whenever he had a close-up, the fantastic texture of his skin looked incredibly realistic. I actually think it looked better here than in the last movie, proving that the effects artists weren’t just resting on their laurels. And his completely CGI crew of fish people were done with just as much care and photo-realism that helped them win the Oscar in 2006.
There was an interesting little effect where we saw a pirate ship sailing through the sands of a desert, though I had one tiny problem with it that was either the fault of the effect animators, the script, or the director. The story established that the ship was actually moving across the sand on the backs of thousands of tiny scuttling crabs, but in the shot where it crests a dune, sails down the beach, and floats into the water, the crabs were all gone. Did they just forget how it was supposed to have been moving? Or maybe they were making the point that the crabs were all in Jack Sparrow’s mind. The point is that it was never addressed.
The incredible climax of the movie was full of magic and excitement. Two ships, the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman, sail into a great swirling whirlpool in the middle of the ocean. There is rain, lightning, wind, waves, and spray, and also cannonballs being fired from both ships. Each ship took massive damage, and there was a great shot where the two vessels got so close to each other, but on opposite sides of the whirlpool, that their masts crash into each other! And I have to mention how the awesome CGI water looked much more realistic than in other recent films like Superman Returns and Poseidon, despite its unnatural behavior. The dark blue-green lighting was perfect! And while all the mayhem was going on, Jack and Davey had to sword fight while balancing on one of the yard arms.
Then, another sequence that was amazingly lit and constructed was the destruction of the Endeavour. As it takes cannon fire from both sides, the defeated Captain Beckett slowly walks away from the Poop Deck. His ship is blasted to pieces all around him, but he isn’t touched until he is engulfed in fire. A very cool effect! So yes, I think there was plenty of reason to nominate this movie for the category.