Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Title: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Genre: Action/Adventure
Director: Rob Marshall
Screenplay: Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio
Starring: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, and Ian McShane
Captain Jack Sparrow is back and finding what he does best, trouble. His newest adventure finds him at the mercy of the infamous Blackbeard and dragged along on a quest for the Fountain of Youth. Though Blackbeard’s mystical powers and preferred zombie henchmen might be the obvious choice to keep poor Jack on his toes, it is Blackbeard’s beautiful daughter, Angelica, who is the main cause of his concern. Jack leads this gang of unlikely allies to the fountain facing dangers like mermaids that have a deadly taste for man and the British Empire being captained by old foe Captain Barbossa. How will Jack make it through his latest adventure alive? By doing what he always does, improvise.
Everything you could possible love about the Pirates series is back and just as entertaining. I don’t think I will ever getting tired Jack Sparrow and his comedic frolics. With all the trouble Jack seems to find himself in the middle of time and time again, he seems to still have so much fun that the idea of becoming a pirate is very appealing.
I did have a couple of concerns about the new movie before I saw it. One, how could the story possible hold up against the last three films? And, two, how could this film be as good without character favorites, Elizabeth and Will? The last two films seemed determined to one-up the previous with bigger effects and an even more massive plot. The idea of the fountain quest seemed intriguing, but I wasn’t so sure that it could compare to the rest of the series. I was pleasantly surprised that I liked the more compact adventure the quest for the fountain was. There was no need to scour every inch of the world meeting danger upon danger. This film achieved focus much like the original film and stuck to it. As for the second concern, I am personally a fan of Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom, but their characters story had such a satisfying ending from the last film that they just were not missed. With the story having such a specific focus it would be hard to fit Will Turner and his own ship of souls into the plot. Of course, I have also come to the conclusion that it doesn’t really matter who is in the film as long as Captain Jack is present.
This film is fun and highly entertaining. Whether you’re being mesmerized by action and effects of the film or laughing at the antics and dialogue, you will definitely not regret seeing this movie. I recommend spicing up your Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides experience by seeing the film in 3D.
I give this film 5 Buttery Kernals.