Just when you thought that Johnny Depp's alter-ego Captain Jack Sparrow had sailed for the last time, it turns out he hadn't. With new director Rob Marshall, the wily rogue has returned for a new Pirates of the Caribbean adventure, subtitled On Stranger Tides, which is the first of them to be in 3D.
This time, Captain Jack's eye has turned towards the Fountain of Youth. He has a map to it, which is why King George wanted him to guide a royal expedition. He evades conscripment, but he gets unwillingly inducted into the crew of the infamous Blackbeard (Ian McShane). His daughter Angelica (Penelope Cruz) used to be real close to Captain Jack, and probably still is now. Whether Captain Jack likes it or not, they too want him to guide them to the Fountain before anyone else finds it.
At 137 minutes, this is significantly shorter than the last entry, At Worlds End. Yet, this entry doesn't stand out that much amongst its predecessors. Its action scenes are nice, but nothing special, and the plot around them is a tad too convoluted. The bright spot here was that I saw the flatscreen version.
The makeup department, meanwhile, deserves the most attention for the Oscars. They've put in so much effort in making the actors into such characters as the pirates, nobles, and zombie ship-hands. Their work is so good it's even allowed Judi Dench to slip by unnoticed in an amusing cameo.
If not for Captain Jack being reliably quirky, this installment would've sunk badly. Instead, this should make for an OK time-waster for a matinee at the movies.
About Me
- Jethrotcat
- This is the blog where I talk about the latest movies I've seen. These are my two Schnauzers, Rufus (left) and Marley (right, RIP). As of now, the Double Hollywood Strikes are officially over. May the next strikes not last as long as these ones did.
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