Who needs the rapture when you could see the newest Pirates of the Caribbean movie? I just died and went to heaven, says I!! Now that we have that fanboying moment out of the way, let's carry on with the review.
On Stranger Tides brings us back once again into the life of Jack Sparrow (there should be a captain in there somewhere), the pirate we all fell in love with eight years ago. As promised at the end of last we met, Sparrow is after the fountain of youth. Along the way, Sparrow is reacquainted with Barbossa, Gibbs, a lover scorned - Angelica, the menacing pirate legend - Blackbeard, and even zombies and mermaids.
On Stranger Tides is, by no means, a perfect movie but does wash away any bitter aftertaste you (emphasis on you, because I loved them) may have had towards the franchise after Dead Man's Chest and At World's End. I felt that that On Stranger Tides returned to form by unfolding as an adventure-quest story, much like Curse of the Black Pearl, rather than a plot of rescue, betrayal, and backstabbing like the sequels before it did. Marshall, the new director at the helm, even pays homage to Black Pearl by including a sword fighting sequence reminiscent of the first duel between Sparrow and Turner in the blacksmith shop. The film was also shot beautifully and the soundtrack is as stunning as ever. The Hans Zimmer's familiar score is even enhanced with relevant Spanish guitar by Rodrigo y Gabriela .
What doesn't work for the film is the introduction, of what i am assuming, a replacement couple for Elizabeth Swan and Will Turner. Quite frankly, I didn't care for sub-plot romance between the Syrena the mermaid and Philip the missionary. They didn't have as large a presence as Turner and Swan did, so it seemed more like an after-thought than anything else. That said, I thought the mermaids were really cool and the scene where they attacked the pirates was pretty intense. I will admit though, I did laugh at the shot of one of the mermaids revealing what appeared to be vampire-like fangs.
Another thing that bothered me was the lack of exploration of some of the lore introduced. Where did Blackbeard's voodoo powers come from? Why is his sword able to control his ship? I feel like this lack of storytelling is a result of the writers' need to introduce as many characters as possible and have them all have their own motives. Maybe it will all be explored in the next pirates film, as hinted at by the scene at the end of the credits. I just feel like if they shortened the beginning of the film and worked some script magic, they could have at least explored some of it during the meaty 137-minute runtime.
Either way, as you may have expected, I fully and wholeheartedly enjoyed the film - and will probably see it several more times. When it comes down to it, I'm a pirate fanboy at heart, and the franchise can do no wrong in my eyes. Objectively speaking of course, I suggest you set your sails and course your heading for the nearest theater. You just might be surprised.
Are you truly surprised at my final verdict?
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