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.
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