If you’re thinking about seeing “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” you might want to pack a lunch and make sure you have good seats, because this movie is ridiculously long. A game or a good friend to chat with during boring parts might be a good idea, too.
Fans of the franchise will no doubt like the latest installment, but whether it’s worth the time and money for fans who aren’t die-hard is debatable, especially if they’ve seen any of the other movies.
“On Stranger Tides” fits in well with its three predecessors, but the four of them are hard to differentiate and blur together too easily.
In this movie, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) embarks on a journey to find the fountain of youth. Of course, he’s not the only one searching. Who doesn’t want eternal youth?
With Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley’s characters officially landlubbers, “On Stranger Tides” introduces a few new swashbucklers: Angelica (Penelope Cruz) and Blackbeard (Ian McShane) are also on the quest.
Missionary Philip (Sam Claflin) and mermaid Syrena (Astrid Berges-Frisbey) are reluctantly part of the “team” as well. Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and Gibbs (Kevin McNally) also return for the fourth movie.@@names correct@@
The new blood saves “On Stranger Tides.” It’s the one thing that makes this movie stand out from the others. Jack and Angelica’s relationship is interesting to watch, and it gives his flat character more depth.
Among all the fighting, betrayal and chaos are Philip and Syrena, who remind the viewers that there is some good in this seemingly lawless world. The movie at times gets so sad, with everyone after their prize no matter the cost, that without Philip and Syrena, it would have been disheartening.
As a Disney movie, one might expect this movie to be family-friendly, but it fully earned its PG-13 rating.
It’s definitely geared toward an older crowd than the ride it was based on might suggest. Innuendos so obvious they can barely be called such and a surprising amount of violence might make parents want to think twice before taking their kids.
The action scenes are on par with those in the previous movies — fun to watch, but totally unbelievable.
At some point, fighting in bizarre places (on narrow, high beams, for instance) becomes less exciting and more reaching. It is a movie, of course, but it’s hard not to think of all the choreography that had to go into the scene, and it seems unnatural.
The mermaids were a more interesting part of the storyline and it’s clear the filmmakers used them as a selling point.
Unfortunately, they weren’t in the movie much and their story was more sad than fun. This is a missed opportunity that could have set the movie apart from the others even more.
Another sequel could very well be on its way, given how “On Stranger Tides” ended. The story and new characters could support another one, but it could go one of two ways.
The filmmakers can keep making different versions of a movie we’ve seen before, or they can take the opportunity the new blood gave them and make it something special, something different.
It’s hard to imagine what other crazy adventures Captain Jack Sparrow might have up his dirty, billowy sleeve.