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just_perfect 2012-05-25 21:47:30

Worth the Watch But Not Amazing

I have to say I was really looking forward to Pirates of the Caribbean4, I really enjoyed Curse of the Black Pearl.Then Dead Man's Chest andAt World's End were good, but there was room for improvement.POTC: On Stranger Tides was full of action. The beginning is quite goodbut I struggled to get to grips with where we were since the last film.I soon got into it and it was good to see familiar faces! Depp and Rushwere amazing as always and there's some pretty good new faces too!However - I did feel there were too many action sequences, and there'sso many different groups of people going after the Fountain of Youth itbecomes very confusing. I also felt it was difficult to understand whyeach person/group of people were going after the fountain? It alsolacked the humour of The Curse of the Black Pearl.On the positive side again - we learn a lot more about Jack'scharacter. But I perhaps feel he wasn't involved enough...But I wouldadvise watching it. I will definitely buy the DVD and am lookingforward to POTC 5!

Movie_Muse_Reviews 2012-05-25 13:34:54

Same old "Pirates" with a new simpler focus and more Capt. Jack

After a four-year hiatus to regroup and determine the future of thefranchise, Disney and what was once its surprise mega-hit "Pirates ofthe Caribbean" series have returned in "On Stranger Tides." Hard tobelieve that this franchise evolved from the once-lambasted concept ofa theme park ride being turned into a successful motion-pictureblockbuster. After exhausting the "Pirates" world with two back-to-backsequels of titanic and rather disappointing proportion in 2006 and2007, a break in the action to recalibrate Captain Jack Sparrow'scompass was much-needed. The "new" course set by "On Stranger Tides"uses worn sails, but with a fresh wind of characters and moreimportantly, a more direct purpose.As promised in the end of "At World's End," Jack's looking for theFountain of Youth if for nothing more than ships and giggles. First,however, he must take a side trip to London to rescue his old pal Gibbs(Kevin McNally) and subsequently the palace of King George (RichardGriffiths in a lovely cameo). There, he learns that his old palBarbossa (Rush) has lost The Black Pearl as well as his leg and soldout to His Majesty's Royal Navy. He is to help the English find theFountain before the Spaniards do. Jack, of course, knows the way there,thus continuing his ongoing role as an indispensable pestilence.After a familiar improvised escape, he crosses paths with an old lover,Angelica (Penelope Cruz), who he once deflowered before she was to takeher vows at a convent. She mentions she has a ship he can borrow, onlyit turns out that it's her father's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge,captained by none other than Blackbeard the Pirate (Ian McShane), afeared and soulless scourge with a minor in black magic. So much forsmooth sailing.As overdone and cliché as the Fountain of Youth may be, it's perfectfor the "Pirates" franchise and helps keep things very simple,something the last installment had more than a fair deal of troublewith. Only a few character subplots threaten to convolute the story,but all motivations lead to the Fountain regardless the reason. Infact, "On Stranger Tides" marks the first film to truly focus onCaptain Jack. With Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley's characters outof the way, the franchise can keep the spotlight on the reason it'sgotten four films deep. Depp has nothing new in store for us as thetrue center of attention, but by continuing to underplay the trademarkquirks and mannerisms, he continues to prolong the deterioration of theCapt. Jack act. Some might disagree, but it depends how much you likedhim the first place.In terms of new faces, Ian McShane is impeccable as Blackbeard. Rushgave a wonderfully theatrical performance as the main villain in thefirst film, but McShane introduces the first true quantifiable force ofevil the franchise has seen. Although his voodoo abilities andreputation for killing his men and bringing them back from the dead toserve as his zombie slaves are never entirely realized, he's themerciless villain this film needed. He never fully crosses intoscare-your-children evil, but he could've at any instant and thatfeeling radiates from his performance. In general, this film alignsitself more with fantasy and traditional folklore than the supernaturallike the previous film.Among other new faces, Rob Marshall as the franchise's new directordoes serviceable work. The "Chicago" filmmaker chews the scenery welland creates effective moods and tones, but the action could have been abit more inspired, especially considering the series' reputation forsword-fighting ingenuity.Marshall's best work and the film's best sequence deals with mermaids,not the singing and seashell bra type, but seduce you with their looksand then try and devour you with fangs type. Quiet, suspenseful andculminating in a full-on action sequence, the mermaids constitute theone completely fresh element of the film. Their cove is the lone stopon the journey as well, so it's the only aspect of the plot thatcreates that classic seafaring adventure feeling akin to Homer's "TheOdyssey."Not much else deviates from the formula, so those hoping for aresurgence in the series or something as good as the first film, "TheCurse of the Black Pearl," will remain wishful thinkers once again.It's hard to imagine where the series could go next without retreadingover old ground or just introducing new characters for the sake of it,but Captain Jack Sparrow remains one of the few reliable comforts ofblockbuster cinema, and any adventure with him at the wheel willstruggle to be a total waste of time. "On Stranger Tides" makes justenough adjustments to the series to make for a successful installment.~Steven CVisit my site at http://moviemusereviews.com

IllusionOfLife 2012-05-24 16:22:18

All Jack and No Story Makes Pirates a Dull Film

I really hate to say it, but Pirates of the Caribbean: On StrangerTides is just boring. While the second and third films were derided fortheir muddled and overcomplicated plots, this film hardly has enoughstory to fill a napkin and a serious lack of solid direction. Thecharacters are lifeless and hollow, and even in the midst of actionscenes nothing terribly interesting ever happens. The Curse of the Black Pearl is, of course, the best Pirates film todate, but after re-watching all three movies over the past couple ofdays, I've reaffirmed my opinion that Dead Man's Chest and At World'sEnd are worthy, if flawed, followups to the original. Yes, the lattertwo films definitely suffered from the fact that they began productionwithout a finished script; Dead Man's Chest tried to do too manydifferent things without taking time to flesh any of them out all theway, and At World's End was left with the impossible task of properlytying up all these disparate plot threads. However, despite theseflaws, they were still enjoyable movies from start to finish due togood characters, and great direction by Mr. Gore Verbinski. Verbinksigave the series a solid direction and a life that this fourthinstallment is sorely lacking. On Stranger Tides starts out loosely referencing the end of At World'sEnd in which Jack had taken the map to find the legendary Fountain ofYouth. We're quickly reintroduced to the only three returning castmembers: Jack Sparrow, Barbossa, and Mr. Gibbs; there's some fun stuffin the beginning, but after the Fountain of Youth is introduced as aMacGuffin it quickly devolves into monotony. Part of the problem liesin just the structure of the story this time around, in On StrangerTides they broke away from the structures of the previous films inorder to tell an Indiana Jones-esque adventure film however, thecharacters and settings of Pirates of the Caribbean do not lendthemselves well to that kind of movie. And speaking of characters, withthe exception of the returning cast, they are all just completely one-dimensional and uninteresting. Black Beard, who is supposedly "thepirate all pirates fear" is particularly bad. It seems like they weretrying to go for a villain somewhere between that of a Saturday morningcartoon and a silent psychopath, but in the end it just ended upfeeling phoned in. There's also a half-baked side story between twocharacters seemingly trying to fill the role of Will and Elizabeth'scharacters from the previous films, but again, the acting is completelycardboard and it isn't effective. As I said, this film is just tragically boring, you can't empathizewith the characters, you don't feel compelled to ponder any of themystery, and even the action sequences aren't enough to make you sitforward in your seats. It's a meandering, poorly directed, boring mess.Disney is apparently planning a fifth and sixth film for the series,and if that's the case, I beg, and I plead: please bring back GoreVerbinski. On Stranger Tides is proof that the heart of the series liesnot in the action, the locations, or even Jack Sparrow himself;Verbinski was the heart and soul of Pirates of the Caribbean, andwithout him the franchise has been left hopelessly adrift. Rating: Zzzzzzzz...

2012-05-24 02:24:53

Same Ol' Pirates.

After 7 years we return back to the days of Captain Jack Sparrow and the swashbuckling mayhem of Pirates of the Caribbean. Under new leadership of Rob Marshal and replacing Orlando Bloom & Kiera Knightly (For now) with Ian McShane & Penelope Cruz it makes for another action packed, laugh filled Pirates adventure. Simply put, if you have seen the first 3 and you liked the first 3, then 'On Stranger Tides' will be movie you will like as well. I was glad that they went back to the first film and realized that a simple easy to follow story is better than something overly complicated. Having Johnny Depp & Geoffrey Rush do what they do best as Jack and Barbosa, it's a winner. Still, the fact that it is just another 'Pirates of the Caribbean', well it may not always be a good thing. So apparently there will be a possible Pirates 5 & 6 as a "New Trilogy" I am wondering where the next adventure will be.

2012-05-23 19:12:02

Watching the latest sequel for Depp is a no-brainer.

Can't say I miss any of the absent original cast members... Johnny Depp is so perfect as Capt. Jack Sparrow you likely won't notice either. Although Geoffrey Rush returns as Capt. Barbossa as well as Sparrow's first-mate. This time Jack is searching for the Fountain of youth. Ian McShane (of Deadwood is electric as BlackBeard. Penelope Cruz is mostly forgettable , the mermaids may have the uppper hand for on screen female presence. I certainly enjoyed it more than the last movie of the film series. The ending is painfully predictable, but it made infinitely more sence than the last two... Although clearly every pirate in the Disney Universe is packing magic and zombies.. I can't wait to see how they supe-up Long John Silver in Pirates V.

freemantle_uk 2012-05-23 14:55:32

I'm a bad man

What Jerry Bruckheimer says to himself everyday. Anyway, 2010 was a badyear for Mr. Brockheimer, producing two flops, Prince of Persia and TheSorcerer's Apprentice, so needed a hit to get back on top. Luckily aPirates of the Caribbean sequel is a good way to do that, even thoughAt World's End was a incomprehensible mess and the director of theoriginal trilogy, Gore Verbinski decided to make an animated filminstead.In the middle of the 18th Century Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is inLondon after loosing the Black Pearl after the end of the third andKing George II (Richard Griffiths) orders the pirate to lead anexpedition to the Fountain of Youth, with Hector Barbossa (GeoffreyRush), who is now a privateer for the British Navy. Despite this Jackdoes not join them and escape, finding out someone is pretending to behim and lead their own expedition. He is soon captured and taken onboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of Blackbeard (Ian McShane)and his daughter Angelica (Penelope Cruz), a former flame of Jack's.Soon Blackbeard, the British led by Barbossa and the Spanish are allheading to the Fountain and want it's power.After the problems of At World's End, the budget of On Stranger's Tidewas tighten, with filming moved to London and Hawaii and the plot wassimplified. This was a smart move because it gave the characters andfactors a clear focus. It is a better plotted film then At World's Endand characters do not have loads of different goals. There were a fewsubplots but they were in context of the overall of the film, such asmutiny and the capturing of a mermaid. The actual story about findingthe Fountain was very similar to an Indiana Jones, trying to find afamous legendary object/treasure/location and what's impact could be.Essentially this film is trying to be a Indiana Jones film withpirates. At the same time Jack's ability double cross people is toneddown and On Stranger's Tide suffers because of it.Rob Marshall replaced Verbinski in the director's chair and he is bestknown for making musicals. He does an decent enough job and pretty muchthe same from the previous films. This Pirates film is shot with adarker colour pallet and creates a problems, because it makes it haterto see the action sequences. The action is this film is the weakest inthe series, the mermaid attack the best part of the film. On Stranger'sTide was shot in 3D and I saw it in 2D: but the 3D shots shall we saylacked subtly, with Blackbeard thrusting his sword or the mermaidsdriving towards the camera. Also Marshall saw fit to add some dancingand singing in the film.Johnny Depp obviously loves the characters, he keeps coming back to therole and I am sure it's not just for the money. He is still prettyfunny, but Sparrow was a more serious character this time round. Cruzis a fine addition to the cast as the feisty woman who is a capablefighter and had a spark with Depp, though I would have liked to haveseen Zoe Saldana's character from the first film return and have hercharacter expanded upon. Cruz is a talented actor and her Latin charmswere a great addition to series: hopefully she will returns and get abigger role. McShane is always good as a villain for hire, menacing andruthless, particularly with the mermaid. Rush however looks very raggedand his role was pretty pointless: I am sure he respired his role forthe paycheque so he could afford to do smaller films like The KingSpeech. Somehow the casting director found an actor who was even moreboring then Orlando Bloom, Sam Claflin, who was a really brand, wetmissionary who added nothing to the film and Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey isvery petty, but because of lack of English skills she did not speakmuch. And Stephen Graham was seriously misused: he is a talented actorand was just used as a comic relief character, not say, a toughswordfighter and potential match for Jack.There are elements of the film which are not expanded, like how doesBlackbeard control the ship with his sword: is it a magic sword? Someexplanation would be nice. Also Blackbeard's officers are zombies,making them more obedient, wouldn't it make more sense to make the crewinto zombies and let the officers keep their intelligence and ifanything the zombies did not seem that out of it: their only advantageis that they could survive being stabbed.At times On Stranger's Tide feels a bit lazy and laboured, made simplyto cash in on the popularity of the series. I have never been a big fanof the series but the films are entertaining enough. I just hope thefifth film the final one, allowing Jack Sparrow to retire and put someeffort into it. On Stranger's Tide is decent enough but it is yourtypical blockbuster fare. You got to love Hans Zimmer's music, givingPirates an almost Lord of the Rings style score this time round.

Liam de Gruchy 2012-05-23 16:15:39

Jack is back and better than ever!

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is back in this fourth instalment ofthe Pirtaes of the Caribbean franchise. Along side some old friendssuch as Captain Barbossa (Geoffry Rush)and his old first mate Gibbs,and some new faces such as the beautiful and sassy Angelica (PenelopeCruz)and frighting legend of a pirate that is Blackbeard. (Ian McShane)This troublesome tale sees' Jack go on a voyage to the fountain ofyouth. Might I say how wonderful it is to have Jack back on our screens,Johnny Depp once again portrays the unique character brilliantly andyes at sometimes it is a bit repetitive but it leads to great comedymoments and entertainment for all. Of course the movie could not beat what has come before such as thepirates first movie, but it lived up to be a great instalment to thefranchise. Surprisingly I didn't feel the need for the old characterswe all thought we would so desperately miss such as Elizzebeth Swan andWill Turner. Instead this movie had it's own stamp on the effect thatit gave the audience and it is well worth a watch and a purchase in thefuture. Reviewed by Liam de Gruchy

rebrov85 2012-05-23 06:03:23

Depp stars again as Captain Jack

Having seen the previous 3 Pirates of the Caribbean films, I was alwaysgoing to want to see the latest film in the series to see how itcompared. Rob Marshall took over from Gore Verbinski as director todeliver Captain's Jack Sparrow's latest adventures on the high seas.'On Stranger Tides' focuses on the competitive battle to find theFountain of Youth.The fountain has the power to transfer the remaining years of life from1 person to another. To do this the fountain's water must be drunkusing 2 chalices, 1 containing a mermaid's tear.Jack Sparrow, after rescuing his friend Joshamee Gibbs from certainexecution in London, has got his hands on a map that can lead him tothe fountain - making him a very useful commodity.The Spanish fleet have also found clues to the whereabouts of thefountain and set off from Southern Europe in large numbers to find it.The British forces find out about this and desperate not to be shownup, hire Captain Barbosa (one of the few characters to make it into thenew film from the previous trilogy) to lead a ship and beat the Spanishto the fountain.We find out later that Barbosa is really spurred on by revenge to trackdown and kill Captain Blackbeard.Barbosa may get what his want, as Blackbeard has received asupernatural vision of his future that states he will be killed by aone-legged man. Desperate to avoid this grisly fate, Blackbeard setshis sights on finding the 2 chalices and utilising the magic of theFountain of Youth to extend his life.Blackbeard's daughter Veronica (Penelope Cruz), who we find out has aromantic history with Jack, manages to capture Sparrow and take himaboard her father's ship as a member of the crew.After failing in his attempts to overthrow Blackbeard as the captain ofthe ship by orchestrating a mutiny, Jack's life is threatened and he isforced to comply with Blackbeard's requests. Blackbeard then goes on a'scavenger hunt' against the clock, trying to get his hands on the 2chalices and a teardrop from a beautiful man-eating mermaid.The film culminates with a 3-way battle between all of the 3 interestedparties at the fountain itself. I won't spoil who wins! MY 2 CENTS ThePirates of the Caribbean series of films has always provided goodfamily entertainment and the swashbuckling nature of pirate life willalways capture the imagination of audiences from a variety ofage-groups.Johnny Depp is, as we have come to expect, amazing as Captain JackSparrow. A charismatic and energetic performance ensures that he stealsevery scene he is in. His rapport with Angelica was also successful andthe sexual tension between Depp and Cruz far exceeded that between Deppand Keira Knightly in the previous pirate films. Geoffrey Rush wasgreat, reprising his role as the salty seadog, Captain Barbosa.Ian McShane looked menacing as Captain Blackbeard, but sadly despiteobviously lacking any form of real morality, the character never reallybecame the menacing presence I feel a villain in such films should be.His reliance on the supernatural was never really demonstrated beyondrope tricks on his ship.Shot against beautiful Jamaican islands, the film provided the perfectenvironment for the characters to perform their expertly executedaction sequences. In my opinion though, the film relied too heavily onthese sword fighting scenes, which I know is an odd statement to makeabout a film about pirates. I think a running time of 2 hours and 17minutes helped make these stunts a tad repetitive, with maybe a littlemore variety required.The use of the Spanish fleet also seemed pretty redundant and I don'tknow why they were really required in the film. The characters offerednothing in entertainment and I think we could have done without them.The were laughs to be had throughout the film, mainly from Jackhimself, but I think there was a void left that was previously filledby the pirate comic duo, Pintel and Ragetti (Lee Arenberg and MackenzieCrook). This kind of comic relief wasn't addressed and could be why theconstant tirades of action and sword-play became a tad tiresome.MY RATING: 3/5 I enjoyed this compared to "At world's end" and wouldcertainly recommend it if you enjoy the rest of the Pirates of theCaribbean series.Depp is again in his element as Captain Jack but as with most filmsthat run over 2 hours, you will find yourself drift off now and againdue to the constant action scenes. I will always be interested in thisfilm series as long as Depp sticks with it.A good film, but unspectacular.LIKE THIS REVIEW? Go to http://flic-key.blogspot.com/ for more reviewsfrom Tom Key.

2012-05-22 03:27:51

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

This review is from: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Five-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy) (Blu-ray) Wow!! I believe this film was a "scraping the bottom" of the barrel movie. I am normally a fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but this movie seemed to be forced.

2012-05-21 11:58:53

Captain Jack is Back !

I remember seeing the first movie and I LOVED it ! It was funny, exciting and full of adventure. I always thought Pirates were fascinating and Captain Jack made me interested in 'em more. Then, came the second and third movie and ... Oh' well I wouldn't say they were awful but sorry not a fan. So, when I heard this movie was coming up I had my doubts especially after they excluded Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly which I loved and added new cast of characters. Well, I needn't worry ! Unlike the last two movies, this one is better and it focuses on Captain Jack Sparrow more which is a good thing since that's all what the Pirates movies were about. Johnny Depp as usual is amazing. The other actors did a great job in playing their roles also. If you're a fan you'll watch this anyway. However, if you have your doubts based on the last two films. It's not as good as the first movie but it's certainly better than its two predecessors (IMHO). My Rating for the POC Movies : The Cures of the Black Pearl -5 starsDead Man's Chest - 3 starsAt World's End - 3.5 stars On Stranger Tides - 4 stars

drew-962-366474 2012-05-20 22:04:18

What can I say......

Will keep this brief as just about everyone jumps in for a completefilm summary. So, the first film, brilliant, the second, OK it is asequel and as such very watchable, the third should have been the last,they made a good trilogy....First things, only two scenes worthy of recognition, the 'escape fromthe king' and the 'mermaid' scenes, reminiscent of the earlier films,great fun. The rest, limp wristed, failing to deliver on many levelsand to add an extra dimension of failure about 80% of the film seems tobe filmed in the dark. So all that fab scenery and great costume andeffects were by and large wasted.So not good, not memorable and very very lacklustre.... Theperformances from Depp, Cruz, McShane and Mr Rush, wasted by a secondrate script and weak story, pity as they are without doubt talented.Fingers crossed they do not stretch the elastic on this one, please nomore....

Janelovesjohn 2012-05-20 20:43:54

Wait until it comes out on $.99 pay per view

This was by far a waste of $28.00 in IMAX tickets. Love the charactersbut the plot was, well, no real plot at all. It's clear Disney isrunning out of story lines. The movie is about two hours long. In themiddle of the movie, I was so bored I almost started surfing theinternet on my cell phone. There just wasn't enough of a storyline tohold my attention. I missed Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. Theirabsence is definitely felt. But Penelope Cruz was a nice addition tothe cast. She's funny and adds personality to the movie. Aside fromher, there weren't very many redeeming qualities. While Johnny Deep wasusing a rope to tie his enemies to a tree I wondered if I was watchinga glorified three stooges flick. Conclusion: incredibly disappointed by this movie. Save your money andwait for it to be released as a $.99 rental.

2012-05-19 17:12:04

Not my favorite of the set, but still amazing!

Who doesn't love them some Capt'n Jack Sparrow?! Johnny Depp provides yet another great performance as the fictional captain that we've all come to know and love. This wasn't my favorite of the four Pirates of the Caribbean movies but it's still outstanding. The cast did a wonderful job, the acting and special effects were phenomenal, as expected.One thing that did drive me crazy was that I really wanted to know what happened with the priest and the mermaid at the very end. Sequel anyone?Looking forward to buying this DVD the second it hits the shelves. So good. Can't wait! Keep us all drooling, Jack!

Rishabh Agarwal 2012-05-19 07:56:58

Overall Disappointing

I'm a huge fan of Capt. Jack Sparrow and the Pirates Franchise. I sawthe film today and must say I'm utterly disappointed with thestoryline. First of all why the hell the Spanish people were there?Just to crush the Chalice in the end? its like nothing was suiting thenlets introduce the Spanish. Then where's the enchanting crew of belovedsparrow. There's unwanted fighting sequences and unwanted cameos. Ittakes one fourth of the movie to finally put jacky on the strangertides. Its like the script have been written by whole new writer whosedoesn't know the very essence of pirates. Also there's no need of themermaid love story although mermaid fighting scenes were veryengrossing....But none the less there were some upbeats too. Like ever gorgeous andenchanting Jack Sparrow(there must be Capt. in there somewhere). Theperformances from Rush, cruise and Mcshane were brilliant. The mermaidswere beautiful and freaky too. I miss the black pearl but can sustainthe fact that it wasn't required in the movie(the second part gonna beon this i guess). The freaky awesome crew of black pearl must return.Still a must watch for a die hard fan on this franchise but beginnersmust see the first 3 so as to digest the disappointment.Eagerly waiting for the next one and please its an humble request frommakers to develop a solid script like the previous three.

The_Film_Cricket 2012-05-19 00:45:00

Probably better than it should have been

In movies, as in marriage, the fourth go-around can get a littletricky. As the fourth round approaches there's an apprehension of whathas come before and what is new that is left to be discovered. Piratesof the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the third sequel in Disney'shighly-successful series, is not a movie that I went into with muchanticipation. Yet, as I always do, I allowed myself to be open minded(you never know when a movie will surprise you) and I found the moviequite enjoyable.My apprehension comes from the experience of the previous films, whichI complained were too long and so overwritten as to become convoluted.That's not good for what should be a simple pirate movie. Having leftbehind many of the familiar characters (Orlando Bloom, Kiera Knightlyand Jonathan Price are absent this time), the movie is free to find newcharacters and a new arena to play in. With that, this is a kind oftrimmed down POTC movie.The movie finds the ever-plucky sea-going rascal Jack Sparrow (JohnnyDepp) once again in trouble with the King's court and about to beexecuted. That is, until one of his crew produces a map to the fabledFountain of Youth, rumored to have been found 200 years before by theSpanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. Jack makes a spectacular escapeand the race is on race to find the fountain, which is headed off firstby the Spanish fleet and then by the British fleet. Trailing them areJack and his nemesis Captain Barbossa (Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush), whois a privateer under the orders of King George II (Richard Griffiths).Then there is Angelica (Oscar winner Penelope Cruz), who is first mateon the ship captained by Blackbeard (Ian McShane) - whose beard isactually gray, but never mind.The plot to get to the fountain of youth is probably more complicatedthan it needs to be. Getting to the fountain is easy enough, but thenwe learn that it is not a simple matter of taking a dip and becomingyounger, no. First, Jack learns, you must first get two gobletsbelonging to Ponce de León, then you have to mix it with the tears of amermaid, then (I think I have this right), one person has to drink fromone cup to become younger and then another person has to drink from theother and they will die. Something along those lines. As I said, it ismore complicated than it needs to be.The plot, as in the previous installments, is somewhat superfluous.There really isn't a need to get to the fountain of youth. Thereprobably wasn't any need for mermaids that can suck your blood, nor,all that stuff about voodoo and shrinking massive ships until you canfit them into bottles. Yet, what I have learned about this series isthat the plot really doesn't matter. These films are constructed moreas a series of set pieces rather than a narrative plot. I appreciatedthe mermaids but, this being a Disney film, the all-out boob-fest thatshould have ensued sadly never materializes.What keeps this series popular is quality control. Johnny Deppmaintains the same swagger and slurry charm that he had in the previousfilms. He keeps from taking the film too seriously but avoids thetemptation to make fun of the character. The first film got him hisfirst Oscar nomination, and justifiably so. Eight years, and threesequels later, Depp maintains the fun spirit of the character anddoesn't allow it to grow routine. Neither does Geoffrey Rush, in histhird go-around as Captain Barbossa, which he plays with an evil winkand a pirate accent that he practically chews on. Penelope Cruz gives anice performance here and proves - to me at least - that she shouldhave been the female protagonist of the series all along instead ofKiera Knightly. Yet, I was surprisingly underwhelmed by Ian McShane'sperformance as Blackbeard. McShane is a wonderful actor but somehowBlackbeard seems subdued. He is pure evil, right down to the buckles onhis boots but the character doesn't leap out with the lip-smackingvileness that I had hoped. The movie pins the character down as if theyare introducing him to be in a future movie."Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is probably the best ofthe series since the first one. That is thanks to a leaner script and,mercifully, a shorter running time (it is actually an hour shorter thanthe last one). I could complain about it all day long, but I wouldrather confess that I was more entertained by this film than I was bythe previous two.Disney has found a gold mine with this series. Convoluted as thesemovies are, they do have an audience and I am glad to see anything thatgets movie fans excited. Yet, there is a feeling that this series maybe wrapping up. Johnny Depp has said that he is growing tired ofplaying Jack Sparrow (although it does not come out in his performance)and that may bring about an end to this "Pirates" series. With that, Istarted thinking that maybe Disney would do well to move on tosomething else, maybe Treasure Island, Captain Blood, The Sea Hawk,Moby Dick. Maybe the same fun-loving spirit that made this series sopopular could be given to those classics as well.

2012-05-18 09:39:27

FLICKING 3D

This review is from: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Five-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D / Blu-ray / DVD / Digital Copy) (Blu-ray) the movie itself was awesome, however i bought the 3d/blue ray version to go with my new 3d computer, and every 5 seconds the 3d would flicker in and out. Very annoying and hard to focus on the quality of the movie this way, kind of disappointed in the 3d genre as a result altogether.

Safcinexile 2012-05-18 00:15:10

Sunk To The Murky Depths!

Saw this film last night with my hubby, I have to be honest and saythis is one of the worst movies I have seen this year! The only onethat was worth watching was Depp and even then there was no passion inhis eyes doing this role that was in the previous movies. There was noscreen chemistry between his co stars, Cruz just ran around like aheadless chicken, looking as if she had no idea what she was doing!The storyline itself was much to be desired, felt like I wanted to fallasleep, in fact I had to nudge my hubby a couple of times as heactually did nod off during it! If you have a bad case of insomnia,this is the movie for you!If there is to be another one, then it had better be better, otherwisesomebody should lock it away in Davey Jones' locker forever!I grudgingly have given this 2/10 only because I cannot do one and ahalf.....

2012-05-17 09:30:04

sad sad movie

It is a shame that after such a great movie as the black pearl, we have to put up with this garbage.This was a poorly written (and acted) movie that drug on. Where did all the wit, originality, and humor go?The first movie was a gem. This one must have been written by the monkey!

jamievandingen 2012-05-16 12:47:38

Same on Disney to lean on Johnny Depp's his success

PiratesIts a shame that this movie will not make it any near too the numberone movie of p.o.t.c.I thing we have all seen why! Its not new any more. The same characterare in it. The locations have a lack off imagination and the storylineis slow and lacks of excitement, action and humor.But somehow its got a six point average and I went to see it anyway!Why is that? That because we got sucked into the marketing strategy ofDisney's finest! The can do that. They will make you feel like you haveto seen this movie to , I you've seen the other movies.Will they continue? Will I become better or worse? Will the samecharacters appear every time? I don't know and I don't want to know! Iswear this will bee my latest P.O.T.C. movie that is the truth!Same on Disney to lean on Johnny Depp's his success and milking outthis franchise!

GoneWithTheTwins 2012-05-16 03:32:10

Most of the film is so dark and shadowy that the 3D is completely lost.

From the very opening scene it's apparent that the magic that oncecoursed through the veins of the original Pirates of the Caribbean hasall but run dry. The long-awaited reunion with everyone's favoritescoundrel pirate lacks the humor that should have permeated the entireaffair, and such lusterless exploits continue throughout the rest ofthe film. The romance between Captain Jack Sparrow and newcomerAngelica should have provided a prominent and consistently wittyrepartee, but instead manages only a few fleeting moments of amusement.The supporting characters could have presented more hilarity in theirpreposterous predicaments or at least offered validation for theirinclusion in the adventure, but fall short in both aspects. And thevillainous Blackbeard definitely should have embodied the dastardly andmenacing persona expected of the legendary pirate. Perhaps Sparrowworks best in tandem with strong-willed heroes rather than alone withonly Barbossa's wily antics to aid him.When word reaches King George that Spain has begun a quest to locatethe Fountain of Youth, he hires pirate-turned-privateer Hector Barbossa(Geoffrey Rush) to find it first – with the help of Captain JackSparrow (Johnny Depp) who happens to possess the map to the long losttreasure. When Sparrow refuses, he escapes the King's grasp only tofind himself shanghaied aboard the supernaturally-powered ship ofnotorious pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), who seeks the life-givingwaters to thwart his own fatal date with destiny. As Sparrow attemptsto outwit his captors and his pursuers, he must battle viciousmermaids, nefarious pirates, and the deceptive wiles of his formerlover Angelica (Penelope Cruz).The fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film is very similar to the fourthIndiana Jones outing – it's fun to see the characters return for a newfeature, especially when they remain visually faithful and are scriptedwith the same sharp wit and idiosyncratic catch phrases. The problem isthe story; it's as if the filmmakers have run out of adventures to tellwith these particular heroes. Jack Sparrow should be able to suffice asthe lead protagonist, but simply doesn't have enough emotionalinvolvement with any of the plethora of supporting roles. He has a loveinterest now, plus new villains and the return of several familiarfaces. But despite the nearly nonstop action sequences, he neverinteracts with the characters around him in a manner that begetsinvestment in his plights, misadventures or successes. It's hard tocare about someone whose perils are approached with such a lack ofseriousness.Most of the film is so dark and shadowy that the 3D is completely lost,along with the specific details of sets and fight choreography – whichis further obscured by rapid cuts. The stunts and chases are stilloverly complex, hearkening back to the second film's attention topurely ridiculous yet uncannily diverting action scenes that bridgemoments of verbal storytelling. Here, it's even more of a reach. Partof the problem is that it is repetitious to see yet another swordfightin the rafters of a wooden dwelling or melees with royal guards or ashowdown with a towering warrior.As the second Transformers movie proved so painfully, once the initialexcitement of witnessing a unique cinematic event is gone – inTransformers, the robots metamorphosing; in Pirates of the Caribbean,all sorts of legendary acts of pirating – we're left with a dreary,dull bit of recycled material. A completely extraneous subplot with anameless preacher and a nameless mermaid tacks onto the already lengthyrunning time, along with Spanish soldiers that barely present apredicament and the intricate, on-the-spot rituals necessary to unearthPonce de Leon's Fountain of Youth. At least the unforgettable, catchytheme music returns in full force.- The Massie Twins (GoneWithTheTwins.com)