Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Review
After 4 years we have a new Pirates movie but is it a Black Pearl or a really bad egg? (See I can do lame newspaper reviewer opening puns too).
The movie takes its cue from the novel "On Stranger Tides" by Tim Powers, which I confess to having not read, though intend to now that I've seen the movie. The plot focuses on Jack's quest for the Fountain of Youth, a prize pursued by various other parties including the Spanish, the British, led by a now peg-legged Barbossa and Blackbeard. What follows is a race to the fountain, each crew with their own agenda for doing so and no one wanting to be the second to reach it.
The plot is fairly straightforward and is noticably more linear than "At World's End" which is a good thing as that film spent far too much time faffing about with not a lot actually going on. However, in spite of this simpler plot, "On Stranger Tides" still seems crammed with too much stuff; specifically, supernatural stuff: Zombies, mermaids, a magic sword (forged in Atlantis if you read the backstory online) and the fountain itself. Much like Indiana Jones, the previous Pirate movies have gotten away with featuring outlandish supernatural elements by only including one per movie for the most part. by cramming in all this extra fantasy, it's hard to believe fewer people are aware that such things exist.
There are also disappointingly few action sequences, the best of which occurs at the very start and things don't really get much better after that, pretty much the opposite problem "At World's End" had. The final showdown at the fountain is especially disappointing considering all the players involved and having played the "Lego Pirates of the Caribbean" video game, I actually prefer the way Lego ended the story.
The script also suffers from being awkwardly written with many lines seeming forced and unnatural, often appearing to have been written for the trailer first and to make sense in context second. Jack still has plenty of great lines though and most of the characters work around this ok, but the romance dialogue is pretty awful, though I'll get to that later.
In terms of acting "On Stranger Tides" introduces a host of new characters, some interesting, some less so, but I'll begin with the two most publicized ones: Blackbeard and Penelope Cruz's character Angelica. Blackbeard is played by Ian McShane, in a case of rather inspired casting, and is easily my favourite character in the film. However, he is criminally underused and suffers a similar fate to Sao Feng: lots of buildup, doesn't really do much. His entrance is fantastic though and certainly cements him as a threatening, powerful presence, it's just a shame that the rest of the film seems to forget that and paints him in rather weak light.
Angelica is pretty much your standard Latin femme fatale as seen in countless films. Penelope Cruz does a decent job of it and I wouldn't mind seeing her return, but I also wouldn't really mind not seeing her back either. The other main new characters are Philip Swift (never named in the film as far as I can recall), played by Sam Clafin, and Syrena, a mermaid portrayed by Astrid Berges-Frisbey. Individually these characters, while nothing special, do nothing to offend the audience (nor the eye for that matter) but together, their romance scenes kill the movie dead in its tracks, with both making doe-eyed faces at each other and not much else.
Returning characters Gibbs (Kevin McNally), Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) all play their roles exactly as you'd expect, fine performances all round. For those curious as to why Barbossa is now in the employ of the king, rest assured a satisfying answer is given.
Overall, there is little to truly condemn "On Stranger Tides" for, though not a great deal to praise with especial note either. If you enjoyed the previous films, you'll enjoy this one, but it won't be generating new fans any time soon. A fun ride, if a little unadventurous in what it accomplishes.
Pros:
- Jack's back
- The London sequence is well done
- Blackbeard
Cons:
- Peters out around the middle
- Lacklustre finale
- Not enough Blackbeard
- Awkardly shoe-horned in romance
Don't Bother, Watch on TV, Rental, Cinema-worthy, Must See