"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (2011) Film review

Ahoy, mateys!

Here's my review on what I thought of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. If you want more information on the film itself, see my pre-release post.

Brief Plot

According to Walt Disney Pictures, the story is:

Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) crosses paths with a woman from his past (Cruz), and he's not sure if it's love -- or if she's a ruthless con artist who's using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn't know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past.

Review
As a fan of the franchise, I was pretty excited about seeing this. The adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow must continue, and did it just! It quite literally carries on with Jack Sparrow on his quest of the Fountain of Youth, the note it was left upon in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and On Stranger Tides it takes Sparrow straight into ye olde England, where mayhem ensues as he catches word that he has been searching for a crew there, much to his surprise.

All the characters in the film were portrayed very well in my opinion, and we get surprise returns (I didn't research the entire cast as to enjoy the surprises the film would throw my way... and boy were there surprise returns and cameos!). Funny thing about when Sparrow was running through the streets of London, I couldn't help but think to myself how great it would be if he crossed paths with Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of Sherlock Holmes...

I felt that all acted well with what they had, and the film had an interesting idea, but the story had moments which dragged. Seldom is a quest as simple as "I need to get this object *5 minutes later* I found it!" Whether we look for keys in the house or watch our on-screen hero hunt for an item, but there are elements which I felt weren't interesting. I particularly disliked the mermaid angle, I didn't feel it added anything important, unless they had given it a more compelling story. More so, if they removed what I felt was a pointless love story with a mermaid, then that would be far better. I'm under the impression that it has a part to play in future stories though, and maybe someday I can forgive it if it's used fairly.

The score was a charm to listen to, with Hanz Zimmer bringing his unquestionable talent, as well as a few contributors, and good themes for when Blackbeard was on the scene. A character who had a fantastic look, and acted nicely by McShane. He struck me a strong character, but not particularly bad-ass, which for Blackbeard I thought would be more ideal. Upon his ship we find Sparrow and Angelica, portrayed by Penélope Cruz, who acted finely and was great to see in this film, though not particularly stand-out. Barbossa was the other one who stole the show for me, as Geoffrey Rush returned with his A-game, even if the character wasn't written to the best of ways at times. I have issues with where the story is going at times and how the characters have been written out, but I cannot deny my love of the dialogue done so greatly in that pirate-talk fashion, while the action itself is mostly grand and enjoyable. Mostly.

I enjoyed the swashbuckling adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow from the get-go, and I think the majority do. He plays the role pitch-perfect for a likeable scourge, and pulls off the greatest absurd sequences of escape or sword-play.However, I've found that it's his character that levels out all issues of the film. For all the films faults and predictability at times, I can't help but just enjoy the film a whole lot more knowing this character, acted so tremendously by Depp, is predominantly in the film. A "pretty cool film" as my friends and I summed it up when we left the cinema.

Overall Rating

I found Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade to be a great example of an entertaining film about the search of eternal life, but this sufficed as entertaining fun this year, a reason which is mostly enjoyed when Captain Jack Sparrow is on the scene.

7/10

Was the 3D Worth it?

Not really. It looked nice at times, but in dark scenes it's not helpful, and I feel they miss great opportunities to milk the 3D when swords were pointed directly at us/the screen. Still, looks fine, but I'm sure it would do well without.

Watch if You Liked...

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End

What are your thoughts on the film? What did you like and dislike? Share below!

-Harish, out