It's still May and the movie powers-that-be have given us another "3" to reckon with. This time it's a third spin across the sea with Captain Jack Sparrow and company in "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."

When we last saw Captain Jack (Depp) he had been sucked down under the waves by the Kraken, a monster under the control of Davy Jones (Bill Nighy). Our adventure opens with plucky Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) visiting Shanghai and the dreaded pirate Sao Feng (the always great Chow Yun-Fat). Her mission is to find her love, Will (Bloom) and aid him in getting Captain Jack's ship, the Black Pearl, back. Unfortunately, things are not going well for pirates. A new edict has swept the seas. Anyone knowing, harboring, associating with or talking to pirates will be summarily hung. The numbers of bodies at the gallows is so high that I think even casual fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates may be facing the hang man. Sensing a bleak future, a call goes out to all of the pirate lords. Nine men who form the Brethren Court. Together these scoundrels who no one can trust must trust each other if they are going to keep sailing.

An epic spectacle in every sense of the word, "Pirates 3" is a non stop journey to all corners of the earth. Director Verbinski has crammed hours of action into a film that, even at almost three hours in length, flies by as quickly as the Flying Dutchman navigates the ocean. Visually stunning, the film showcases a host of new and exciting characters who mesh perfectly with the familiar characters of the story. Depp shines in his portrayal of Captain Jack, getting even deeper under the head pirate's skin then he did in "Dead Man's Chest," the second film in the series. With Jack slow to reappear in the story, the task of entertaining falls to the rest of the cast and they do not disappoint. Bloom is much more adult in his portrayal of Will Turner, allowing him to give a heroic performance reminiscent of Tyrone Power or Errol Flynn in the 1940s. The main focus of the story stays on Elizabeth Swann, and this plot allows Knightley to emote with the best of them, all fury and woman scorned. The supporting players are just as impressive, with Chow Yun-Fat leading the wave of pirated actors in a leaping and running. Rush returns as Capt. Barbossa, as do Kevin McNally (Mr. Gibbs) and Mackenzie Crook as the wooden-eyed Ragetti. There are also a couple of pirate surprises on board, one which will make you slowly smile to yourself upon being revealed.

The effects are spectacular, with heaven and earth merging seemlessly under Verbinski's skilled direction.

A story that builds as it makes its way across the ocean, I give "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"