Directed By: Rob Marshall
Johnny Depp - Captain Jack Sparrow
Penélope Cruz - Angelica
Ian McShane - Blackbeard
Geoffrey Rush - Captain Hector Barbossa
Kevin McNally - Joshamee Gibbs
Sam Claflin - Philip Swift
Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey - Syrena
Greg Ellis - Lt. Cmdr. Theodore Groves
Damian O'Hare - Lieutenant Gillette
When I first saw "Curse Of The Black Pearl" in 2003 I thought this was another one of those "look at this, another gimmick movie. Even with Johnny Depp, this won't be that interesting". I was blown away by the first film. Over the next two films, "Dead Mans Chest" & "At Worlds End", I became frustrated, confused and quite frankly annoyed with Disney for taking such a simple concept and overdoing it. I mean, it's a movie about pirates! How hard can it be? Disney managed to let the movies run their course and after the conclusion of "At Worlds End", I thought the series was done. When I first heard they were making a 4th film, I thought this was gonna be the final nail in the coffin for the series. I walked into the theater not expecting much. I thought I was going to be very disappointed. I'm very happy to say that I was 100% wrong.
"On Stranger Tides" revived the magic and simplicity that the first film introduced us with. We know what the plot is. We know what the characters goals are. We know who is on what side. We also know Johnny Depp will steal the show as Jack Sparrow. Surprisingly, the real star of the show in this movie is Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa.
The film takes place just a few years after the events of "At Worlds End". Jack is still seeking his ship (at this point, he will take any ship) to find the fountain of youth. Barbossa is now a commander in the royal fleet serving the Kings crown. Mr. Gibbs, Sparrows trusted first mate, is still staying loyal to his Captain. These are the only characters from the first 3 films that are in this movie. Everyone else is new, which I think was a great decision to not include Will & Elizabeth Turner. To me, those characters died out after the end of the third film. A new cast of characters was a great way to revamp the series.
Lets get to the good news, which I'm happy to say, there is a lot of good things going on in this movie the viewer will like. Lets start with Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. You know him, you love him and every hacky comedian wants to do a great impression of him.
Every womans facial expression when Captain Jack first came on screen.
Next is the very lovely Penelope Cruz, who plays Angelica, a former love interest of Sparrow and the daughter of Blackbeard.
Besides her great performance as Angelica, well, just look at her. Her looks alone sold me. She didn't even have to talk & yell with that wonderful Spanish accent of hers.
Yep, I just made this creepy. Apologies.
Moving on, the movie never got boring. There was more than sufficient battles and action sequences when the heat picked up. Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow made you laugh when there weren't guns blazing. Above all else, you knew what was going on in the film with all parties. Everyone was after one goal, unlike in "At Worlds End", where the 5 main characters were each after their own prize. This made the movie so simple to follow.
Now lets get to the bad news, which again I'm happy to say, there isn't a lot of it. I do have one complaint. You may have noticed I haven't mentioned Blackbeard at all. Let me ask you something...
Does this look intimidating to you?
That is my one and only complaint. Blackbeard is the main antagonist in the movie. He is hyped as the most dangerous pirate of all time. All other pirates tremble in fear when they hear his name. The thing is though, he wasn't that intimidating. Sure, he did the usual threats like "if I don't make it to the fountain, you won't either". He killed one or two people and his ship even has giant flamethrowers in front of it. Not to mention having zombie officers on board. You would expect all of this along with his appearance to be just a bad, tough villain. I'm sorry, but he just wasn't. He seemed, well, soft.
The film concludes with a great battle and an ending you will enjoy. Stay after the credits, as the post credits scene sets up for another sequel.
SUMMARY: Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides wipes the floor with the previous two films. Dare I say it's even almost as good as the first film, "Curse Of The Black Pearl"? I really enjoyed this movie and you will too. Ignore the critics and ignore the current 35% Rotten Tomatoes rating. Go see this film.
RATING: 8/10
Written By: Hammy
Twitter: @BrainstuHammy
