Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides review

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was one of the most anticipated releases of the summer, but as far as I’m concerned, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. There were a couple great things about this movie, and their names are Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush. Their acting was pretty fantastic, as it was in all the previous films. Something unique to On Stranger Tides is you finally see the opposing characters working together rather than constantly fighting. Their dynamic was perfect, but I must say Geoffrey Rush as captain Barbossa kind of stole the show for me. His character still had a sense of mystery when I had all the others figured out.

Seeing it in 3D added a bit of depth (pun intended) to the experience, but it’s not worth paying an extra three dollars for. After all, what’s the point in shelling out extra money when you don’t feel like everything is flying right at you? The music was great as ever, the composer interlaced new themes with the old classics, and the sea chantey “My Jolly Sailor Bold” sung by mermaid Gemma Ward, was hauntingly beautiful. It had many good qualities but like many sequels it simply wasn’t up to par with the rest. Unfortunately people no longer expect excellence, especially with sequels, so most people will undoubtedly like this more than I did.

The Pirates story was meant to be a trilogy. Number three (At World’s End) ended very well, with the vanquish of two villains, a happily ever after, and a nod to eternal pirate adventures in the future. The audience knows the story goes on, you don’t need another movie to tell it. For the most part, it was a rehashing of old fight scenes, insufferable tedious characters, and Jack Sparrow’s repetitive captures and escapes. Penelope Cruz as Angelica was not very good at all, but to be fair she did the best with what she was given, which was a limited dose of talent and a weak character.

I liked the subtle nods to the Disneyland theme park ride on which all these movies were based. It gave Disney fans a little treat that others may not have noticed. Another treat was when Dame Judi Dench had a short cameo in the beginning.

The best thing about this movie was the mermaid scene. These deadly yet enchanting creatures really captured the mystery behind these pirate myths. A big fuss was made about Blackbeard and how he was supposed to be so terrifying but didn’t feel it. He was certainly cold and heartless, but I think the writers put in a lot more effort into the Davy Jones character of the previous films. All it took was one movie to take down the most renown and feared pirate in all folklore when the previous villains needed two movies and a sea goddess to do the job. All in all, this was a last-ditch effort to squeeze a bit more money out of the franchise before putting it to bed. I would suggest seeing a matinee showing or going to the theater on a promotional night so as not to pay full price.

I would rate this film three stars out of five.