I think Summer 2007 might go down as one of the crappiest summer movie seasons in a long time. The big releases might make the money, but with three series on their second sequel appearing in quick succession, the paucity of new ideas in Hollywood is clearly starting to show. As is often observed, the third in most trilogies is invariably the dead duck that kills the series. Having said that, from the numbers that Shrek 3, Spider-Man 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean 3 have pulled in, I don't think anyone's going to be that worried, even if all three have been critically disappointing (even Spiderm-Man 3 was fairly crap). Of course, Hans Zimmer is about as astute as they come when it comes to picking his projects, indeed, he can now lay claim to being Hollywood's most influential composer as FSM had to concede. Of course, most powerful, does not mean best, but At World's End is engagingly trashy nonsense that he can do as well as anyone.

Hans Zimmer has not, to the best of my recollection, scored any other sequels, at least not following on from himself and judging on the evidence here, he's not a Williams-esque master of reinvigorating his old material, but just adds to the existing ideas. The first of these new tunes is a suitably stolid pirate dirge in Hoist the Colours; deep chorus mixed with child soloist. An odd, but effective combination. Said dirge becomes one of the major new themes, most notably in What Shall We Die For where it's put to surprisingly rousing use. To accompany the new oriental characters, Singapore introduces some Chinese influences, although more atmospheric than anything substantial. Mulan it ain't. While the action music is typically bombastic - Up is Down, At Wit's End and the substantial I Don't Think Now is the Best Time - it's pretty well wrought and not unduly unbearable. However, it's in the quiet moments that Zimmer does his best work; I See Dead People in Boats is especially lovely and a nice length so it's not just a token moment, working impressively to a large scale climax.

One particularly pleasing aspect is that the score is littered with whimsical asides; notably the Morricone influenced Parlay and the surreal Multiple Jacks. I read with interest in another review that Zimmer said in an interview that 90% or so of his music is acoustic and much of the sound he gets from the orchestra is a result of the way its mixed. It does seem a little disingenuous to the fine musicians he employs that their skillful execution of his pretty simple music is often rendered down to a slightly synthetic sound. However, they give Zimmer's feisty Pirates scores plenty of zest. Few Zimmer scores have much in the way of substance, but when he comes up with a few good tunes, there are certainly more tedious ways to pass the time. Fortunately, with enough good themes, At World's End and enough of a sense of fun, it ranks at the upper end of his output. It doesn't quite make up for some of the dreary crap he's foisted on us recently nor is it quite as much fun as Muppet Treasure Island, but great entertainment all the same.

Rating ~

1. Hoist the Colours (1:31)
2. Singapore (3:40)
3. At Wit's End (8:05)
4. Multiple Jacks (3:51)
5. Up is Down (2:42)
6. I See Dead People in Boats (7:09)
7. The Brethren Court (2:21)
8. Parlay (2:10)
9. Calypso (3:02)
10. What Shall We Die For (2:02)
11. I Don't Think Now is the Best Time (10:45)
12. One Day (4:01)
13. Drink Up Me Hearties (4:31)

Total Time ~ 55:50