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Pirates' Spoils: 'At World's End' Secrets Arrr Right Here

Who cries first in the flick? And who has the wittiest line (it ain't Jack)?

You're hungry for details about "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," so you've gobbled up the features you've found online and devoured the trailer too. But what to do to sate your appetite until the movie opens in wide release May 25?

Not to sound like your high school English teacher, but you could always read the book, you know. Written by T.T. Sutherland, the adaptation hit stores last week, answering all the questions even the most insatiable fan could ask for about the film (see [article id="1558319"]" 'Pirates' Of Singapore? Details From Un-Caribbean 'At World's End' Set"[/article]).

When medieval mapmakers would chart the world, they'd scrawl the warning "Here Be Dragons" at the edges to highlight the unknown. Only a courageous sailor, indeed, would brave those waters. We tried our best to limit our guide to illuminate some things you already know about and not spoil all the surprises, but we offer the same warning to those who read below: Here Be Dragons.

The Rhymes of the Ancient Mariner

Ah, "Witty Jack." For all its gang-busters' wizardry, the series would be lost without the sublime central performance by Johnny Depp. Savvy? His comical soliloquies represent the best of the movies' whimsy. But while others will go ga-ga over his parlay with Lord Beckett or his speech to the Brethren's Court (some of which has already been seen online), our favorite "Jack-ism" doesn't even come from him. After a particularly brilliant escape by Captain Sparrow, Lord Beckett stands amid the wreckage of his ship. "Do you think he plans it all out," he is asked, "or just makes it up as he goes along?"

Sympathy for the Devil

With nothing less than the future of the open seas at stake, it's no surprise that emotions run high in "At World's End," but bonus points (and a few scoffs of disbelief) if you correctly predicted that the first character to cry would be ... nefarious beastie Davy Jones? It's an intriguing setup for a villain who is given ample back story this time around. Thanks to a visit to his eponymous "locker," we learn where he came from, what his job is, and, most importantly, what betrayal ultimately caused him to cut his heart out to roam the seas forever. "He wasn't always all tentacley?" the pirate Ragetti asks on their journey through the netherworld. "No, he was a man once," Tia Dalma answers. "But he has become a monster."

O Captain! My Captain! (And Captain! And Captain!)

Captain Jack, Captain Barbossa, Captain Jones, Captain Sao Feng ... the "Pirates" movies sure have been a little top-heavy with leaders. Can you stand two more? Both Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner will find themselves the captains of pirate vessels in the film, leading Jack to utter one of his more memorable lines: "Captain? They're just giving the title away now!"

Fool Me Once, Shame on You. Fool Me Twice ...

What would a "Pirates" movie be without shifting allegiances, backstabbing, double-crosses and generally skullduggery? When Will, Barbossa, Jack, Elizabeth, Beckett and Jones meet for a parlay before the final fight, at least two characters are not with who they should be with, and then switch, and are still not where they belong. Confused? Don't be. To discover where everyone stands, remember what they want. Will wants to rescue his father, while Elizabeth wants to assuage her guilt. And Jack? After dying once, Jack wants to become something his character already has in the real world -- immortal.

Sing a Song of Singapore

The most anticipated new character might be Captain Sao Feng, Pirate Lord of Singapore, played by Chow Yun-Fat. "He's much like myself," Barbossa tells Elizabeth as both are being led to a meeting with the feared leader. "Absent my merciful nature and sense of fair play."

Not All He's Krak'd Up To Be

To the two or three people out there who root for the boogeyman, sorry, but we won't be seeing the Kraken in "At World's End." At least not in action sequences, that is. But the giant, ship-devouring monster does show up for one memorable scene and winds up serving a purpose after all by convincing Jack to actually attend the Brethren's Council -- but not in the way you'd probably think. "The problem of being the last of anything," Barbossa says to Jack as they gaze upon the Kraken, "by and by, there be none left at all."

Oh God, You Devil

We've told you the "where" and the "what" of Davy Jones, but the most important revelation in "At World's End" is the "who." In "Dead Man's Chest," the pirates argue over why he cut out his heart, whether it was because of a woman or because "it was the sea he fell in love with." Can both be right? They can if the woman in question is Calypso, goddess of the ocean, imprisoned in human form since the first Brethren's Council, able to shine favor on men or cast them down into the sea with equal abandon. There are those who think that Calypso should be released to help fight the East India Trading Co. and Davy Jones. Look for her appearance to be one of the more spectacular special-effects shots in the flick.

Check out everything we've got on "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."

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