Why, steal me plunder and throw me a rope, it seems that Pirates 4 has a good heading. Truthfully though I was a bit wary of watching Pirates 4. Sure it’s everybody’s favorite pirate, Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), but with the disaster that was Pirates 3 or Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, it’s deadly to be too optimistic.
Thank the heavens because Pirates 4, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is quite a fun ride.
Synopsis
Pirates 4 follows the amusing exploits of Captain Jack Sparrow—shipless and crewless—as he tries to secure both to go on a journey to the famed Fountain of Youth. Of course he’s not the only one after it. The English and the Spanish are both in on the race as well. And Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) leads a merry chase to try and capture Jack for the Fountain of Youth’s map and whereabouts.
In the tradition of Pirates of the Caribbean with their larger-than-life villains, Pirates 4 ushers in a mystical Black Beard played by Ian Mcshane and his lovely but deadly daughter Angelica (Penelope Cruz) who conveniently is Jack Sparrow’s old flame.
Thrown into the mix is clergyman Philip (Sam Clafin) who desperately tries to be this movie’s Orlando Bloom and…a bunch of mermaids.
Review
The movie is more fun than Pirates 3 (Pirates of the Carribean: At World’s End), but nowhere near as epic and as hilarious as the first 2 Pirates movies. The film sets up nicely as we go with Jack to London in the side streets looking for a crew, to being captured by the British Army again, to a hilarious escape. But just before you can breathe, he gets thrown in into another action set where Jack meets Angelica and so on and so forth.
Pirates 4 is entertaining to a point where one can become a bit over exhausted with big-set action sequences laid one after the other. It comes to a point where you already expect this in Pirates and seeing it again for the nth time isn’t as exciting as when Jack Sparrow and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) were fighting each other like hamsters on a wooden wheel on Pirates 2.
I’m not saying that Pirates 4 is a bore. There are quaint scenes with Jack and whoever it is he is conversing with and it becomes a welcome break from all the swash-buckling that happened a minute ago.
The movie wasn’t too serious, (unlike Pirates 3) so it didn’t alienate the audience as much. However, it didn’t really draw you in as well. Adding the Spanish Armada and their holy quest of catechism was a nice touch, but because of Philip’s involvement in the crew, topics on faith and religion were needlessly brought up. Pirates 4 is a fantasy film; religion and faith won’t stand a chance.
Overall, Pirates seems to be treading on good waters. It’s not as rough and exciting as the first 2 Pirates but it’s not as dreadedly horrible as the last and if you stay at the end of the credits, very weakly, the studio probably hints at a Pirates 5.
VISUAL – 4/5
MUSIC – 3/5
SOUND – 4/5
STORY/PLOT – 1/5
TOTAL – 3/5
