Pirates franchise ends with a splash

I went to see Pirates 3 this weekend. Good, but not great. About an hour and a half into it I looked at my watch and said "Gads, we have another whole hour of this!" You really shouldn't be thinking that during an adventure movie!

Minor complaint: what the heck was up with Keith Richards? Why even bother getting him involved for such a short and insignificant scene?

Major complaint: way, WAY too much plot - I couldn't keep track of it, though not quite as bad as the second movie. Do teenage boys have a special talent for sorting it all out, or do they just not care? About halfway through the movie one of the British seaman remarks to another regarding Jack Sparrow: "Do you think he has a plan or is he making it up as he goes along?" and I thought: that's exactly what I was wondering about the filmmakers! It really does feel like many plot points and even some characters are just thrown in, like, "what the heck." Do they think we like all these complications or do they think it gives the movie more credibility or gravitas? I think the charm of most adventure movies, like the first Pirates and the very first Star Wars movie, is the wonderful simplicity of the plot. I'm not talking about dumbing it down, just sticking to the basics, or more importantly, sticking to quality basics, instead of trying to prove something by complicating things.

The only thing I really liked was Elizabeth Swann's expanded presence - elevated to the Pirate King and giving speeches rallying the pirates - great stuff! And Orlando Bloom looked SO smokin' at the end as the captain of the Flying Dutchman - that was worth it right there.