Directed by:
Rob MarshallCinematography:
Dariusz WolskiComposer:
Hans ZimmerCast:
Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush, Kevin McNally, Sam Claflin, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Stephen Graham, Richard Griffiths, Greg Ellis (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed adventure. Crossing paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Penélope Cruz), 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 legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past. (Walt Disney US)
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Reviews (15)
This time the Pirates played the same trumps as once upon a time in part one, i.e. on the purely adventurous tone of the quest for treasure, instead of attempts at mythology or epicness. And it darn worked, even though it’s not so great. To hit the jackpot they needed someone in the director’s chair who can handle dynamic action and comedy timing and who knows how to present everything he has at his disposal. No blockbuster, but no disappointment; just perhaps the absence of chemistry (with one exception) between Depp and Penelope.
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Ten minutes before the end of On Stranger Tides, I remembered that I was wearing 3D glasses and that
the film was (probably) in 3D (it was an IMAX projection). And the only thing I will remember from this a
month later is the mermaid scene. The rest is just fluff, exploiting the success of the franchise, the actors
and Hans Zimmer’s music. I’m only giving it three stars because the film is playful and harmless. In terms of
viewer experience, though, it deserves only two stars because it’s boring. How come so many makers of
B-movies know how to come up with innovative and refreshing ideas, and the Hollywood elite behind
this doesn’t?
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This didn’t seem any better or worse than the original pirate trilogy movies. I miss Keira, as well as those really expansive and bombastic shots, but this one is more about running through the jungle and Depp’s snappy lines. It’s true that the sequence where they try to capture the mermaids was definitely the best moment, a superb atmosphere and unexpected outcome. Blackbeard is a strange and unexceptional baddie. But this isn’t Ian McShane’s fault, but the script’s because he is exploited too little and if it wasn’t for Barbossa there would be very little happening on the villain storyline front. Otherwise, the 3D is rather low standard (the most shocking moment was the trailer for Transformers 3 before the main feature) and it is obvious that Marshall doesn’t really know how to use it. But Judy Dench’s cameo was nice.
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Given the barely palpable aura of unsuccessful sequels that unfairly burdened the second and third installments, a change on multiple fronts was probably the only solution. Gone is the escalating complexity of various intrigues or last-minute pulling of key characters out of the hat. And although I have always enjoyed this approach, I must admit that returning to a classic pirate escapade where Jack Sparrow mainly pulls the strings in key moments, is an idea worth all the money. Rob Marshall's academic pedigree successfully builds upon Gore Verbinski's legacy.
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The first part of the Pirates series that managed without pathos. Liberated from the original trilogy, the fourth part offers a new adventure, new stories, new locations, and thanks to Penélope Cruz, it's finally a feast for the eyes (and ears, because she uses her Spanish accent). The previous films were just effectively assembled grand images, whereas this was finally a pleasant and entertaining spectacle.
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