There is a moment late in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End when Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush and Keira Knightley stride three abreast to a summit meeting of sorts. Adorned in their elaborate getups, they personify pirate cool.

Watching three generations of terrific actors who have poured so much talent and energy into their roles over three films, I had to acknowledge that even though I haven't been the biggest fan of the "Pirates" franchise, these characters have earned their iconic status. They are part of pirate movie lore.

If Errol Flynn, Tyrone Power and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. could see the ridiculously entertaining action sequences in the third "Pirates" movie, they'd drop their swords in amazement. The sets, costumes, stunts and special effects are beyond what anyone could have dreamed during the Golden Age of the pirate movie.

Not that there's much in the way of actual pirating going on in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Everyone is too busy restoring life to dead creatures, cracking jokes, debating pirate law (Who knew?), lifting curses, switching allegiances and coping with hallucinations, among other problems, to engage in anything so mundane as storming a ship and making off with the loot.