Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (12A) ****

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (12A) ****

Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane

Dir: Rob Marshall

I think there were probably two main ways of thinking when the news of the new POTC reached the public's ears. Some will have been overjoyed at a continuation of the franchise, while others will have been thinking 'When will they let it die?'

Both parties will be surprised by On Stranger Tides, the latest instalment of the swashbuckling adventure series, reuniting Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) and Barbossa (Rush).

The film continues pretty much where At Worlds End left off, with Sparrow searching for the Fountain of Youth, being chased by both the English and the Spanish navies, and introduces the beautiful and skillful Angelica (Cruz), a mysterious character from Sparrows' past, and the evilly sadistic Blackbeard (McShane)

Depp and Rush reprise their roles brilliantly, as the anti-heroic Barbossa and kooky Sparrow, whose luck and intelligence blur into an indeterminable flair of his personality, with McShane and Cruz's taking to piracy like mermaids to water.

The plot is somewhat darker than the previous films, especially Blackbeards sadism. That said, it is very enjoyable, with unexpected twists and parallel story lines, including a love story between a mermaid (Astrid Berges-Frisbey) and a devout religious kidnappee (Sam Claflin).

This sidelined love story is reminiscent of Elizabeth and William from the first three films, but without Bloom and Knightly and as with E and W, is somewhat rightfully sidelined to accentuate Sparrow's character and prioritise his story.

The special effects and CG are as great as people have come to expect from Disney. That said, there were some hiccoughs with the 3D when your eye drifts slightly from the focus of the picture to the background, but this doesnt detract from the quality of the film.

With an ending that leaves the franchise open to finishing or continuing - although quite where they can go from it I'm not sure - the latest Pirates film is sure to be a hit and will surely climb through the box office at the same rate of knots as the previous films.

Insidious (18) ***

Insidious (18) *** Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Ty Simpkins. Dir: James Wan.

Another offering from the people behind the Saw saga and Paranormal Activity, Insidious is (from what I've come to understand) the badass big brother of PA's 1 and 2. I say 'from what i've come to understand', because these films aren't my cup of tea, and this is the first proper scary film I've seen since Mothman Prophecies.

The film follows the blighted Lambert family, who are being tormented by an evil spirit. Dalton (Simpkins) is the focus of the demon's attentions, and his parents Josh (Wilson) and Renai (Byrne) pull out all the stops to find out what is wrong and why, with some truly terrifying results.

All things considered, the acting is good for the most part, although the way Byrne speaks to Simpkins is patronising and wooden, as is alot of Simpkins' acting, but altogehter they manage to pull of a convincing family unit.

The main premis of the films scare factor is less the psychological, but more the shock factor, and there are lots of scenes that will make you jump. And the good thing is that it works thanks to a cleverly written story, as oppose to just stringing scares together.

This said, the film does get a little far fetched towards the end, which leaves it open to some extent to a follow up of some description, and a not very subtle hint towards a continuation of a well known film franchise.

Despite spending alot of the film cowering behind my hands and turning the air blue, this is a good film that is enjoyable as well as terrifying.