Interesting story: when I saw this movie tonight, I was sitting beside a little girl and her mom. The girl constantly asked where the mermaids were, and I realized; the only reason the little girl wanted to see it was because of the mermaids. I felt SO bad for her, because the mermaids you see in the movie AREN'T like what you see in 'The Little Mermaid'. They're scary. So when the part arrived, she was crying, and they had to leave. I felt horrible for her, poor thing is probably never going to look at mermaids the same way again.
Oh yeah, right. I'm writing a review. Sorry. So anyway, yeah, Pirates 4.
Keep in mind that this is MY review of the movie. Your opinion may very well differ from mine.
Story
The movie follows Captain Jack Sparrow, now without Will or Elizabeth, on his quest to find the Fountain of Youth. As he quests, he gets caught in a race against old nemesis Barbossa, who is now working for the English government, and the legendary pirate Blackbeard, who is after the Fountain for his own purposes. There are Spaniards in the movie too, but they contribute absolutely nothing to the plot. But before they can get to said fountain, they need a couple things: two cups which names I'm not going to bother try and remember, and the tear of a mermaid. Silly shenanigans, crossed swords, and gunfire ensue.
The plot is fairly easy to follow..... which is to say, easy to follow for a Pirates movie..... which is to say, it's still friggin confusing. There are a lot of people after the Fountain of Youth, and some of the groups could easily have been cut out, and nothing would be lost. Most of the characters in the movie are new, and while I don't mind them, I don't think they're as memorable as the original crew from the first 3 movies.
I was mostly curious to see how Jack would be pulled off without Will and Elizabeth to act as a foil for him. And amazingly, he is significantly less annoying than he was in previous movies. He's given a lot of well written dialogue, and manages to be the only character that you can root for in the movie. The "love story" of the movie felt kind of forced(not talking about Jack and whatshername), but it wasn't anything as bad as the love story in Star Wars Episode II. I just felt that the romance was a bit unnececarry, but it wasn't anything that seriously detracts from the movie.
Acting
Johnny Depp has to carry most of the film on his own without Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightly around, and he does a great job. He was always good as Jack Sparrow, but Johnny really steps up his game for Pirates 4. Penelope Cruz does a good job as well, though I wasn't a huge fan of her character. She switched sides every 12 seconds. Seriously. The returning characters are all done well.
However, the best character is by far Blackbeard, played by Ian McShane. This guy is ruthless, merciless, and downright evil, all things that make a perfect villain. Ian does an amazing job, and steals the show for every scene he's in. It's hard to pull off a character that you can hate so much, yet like so much, at the same time. Ian does it though, and he deserves serious props for that.
Presentation
Pirates 4 sees the return of the great soundtrack of the first 3 movies. Han Zimmer, I am thanking you for gracing the world of cinema with you music. We are not worthy.
The special effects are done pretty well. You won't see anything Avatar worthy here, but nothing particularily sticks out either. I saw this in 2D, and found everything to be fine. There are a couple scenes at the end of the movie which were CLEARLY made with 3D in mind. And I'm talking about OBVIOUS 3D shots, bordering on Spy Kids 3 ("Let me push this button. *stretches hand out to screen akwardly*"). Alright, maybe not THAT obvious, but still pretty clear.
The main problem with the movie is that you really can't connect with any of the new cast. As I said earlier, most of the characters are new, but the only people who's characters see any real development are Ian and Penelope. It's sad, because the new romance story, while bland, does have room for potential and is left somewhat open ended. I am interested to see where it goes, and I hope they don't just abandon it for Pirates 5. And let's face it; there IS going to be a Pirates 5.
Verdict
So I give Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides a:
7/10
I was never exactly a huge fan of these movies. I'd just watch them, enjoy, and move on. There are some good fight scenes, good acting, and a lot of potential. But the movie is riddled with characters you don't care about, a somewhat confusing plot, and things that just didn't need to be there. If you're a Pirates fan, I will say that it was better than the last two, but not as good as the first. I enjoyed it, but I probably won't remember it in a week or two.
So have you seen Pirates 4? Did you think I was too harsh, or too leniant? Did I miss anything? Let me know.
Interesting story: when I saw this movie tonight, I was sitting beside a little girl and her mom. The girl constantly asked where the mermaids were, and I realized; the only reason the little girl wanted to see it was because of the mermaids. I felt SO bad for her, because the mermaids you see in the movie AREN'T like what you see in 'The Little Mermaid'. They're scary. So when the part arrived, she was crying, and they had to leave. I felt horrible for her, poor thing is probably never going to look at mermaids the same way again.
Oh yeah, right. I'm writing a review. Sorry. So anyway, yeah, Pirates 4.
Keep in mind that this is MY review of the movie. Your opinion may very well differ from mine.
Story
The movie follows Captain Jack Sparrow, now without Will or Elizabeth, on his quest to find the Fountain of Youth. As he quests, he gets caught in a race against old nemesis Barbossa, who is now working for the English government, and the legendary pirate Blackbeard, who is after the Fountain for his own purposes. There are Spaniards in the movie too, but they contribute absolutely nothing to the plot. But before they can get to said fountain, they need a couple things: two cups which names I'm not going to bother try and remember, and the tear of a mermaid. Silly shenanigans, crossed swords, and gunfire ensue.
The plot is fairly easy to follow..... which is to say, easy to follow for a Pirates movie..... which is to say, it's still friggin confusing. There are a lot of people after the Fountain of Youth, and some of the groups could easily have been cut out, and nothing would be lost. Most of the characters in the movie are new, and while I don't mind them, I don't think they're as memorable as the original crew from the first 3 movies.
I was mostly curious to see how Jack would be pulled off without Will and Elizabeth to act as a foil for him. And amazingly, he is significantly less annoying than he was in previous movies. He's given a lot of well written dialogue, and manages to be the only character that you can root for in the movie. The "love story" of the movie felt kind of forced(not talking about Jack and whatshername), but it wasn't anything as bad as the love story in Star Wars Episode II. I just felt that the romance was a bit unnececarry, but it wasn't anything that seriously detracts from the movie.
Acting
Johnny Depp has to carry most of the film on his own without Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightly around, and he does a great job. He was always good as Jack Sparrow, but Johnny really steps up his game for Pirates 4. Penelope Cruz does a good job as well, though I wasn't a huge fan of her character. She switched sides every 12 seconds. Seriously. The returning characters are all done well.
However, the best character is by far Blackbeard, played by Ian McShane. This guy is ruthless, merciless, and downright evil, all things that make a perfect villain. Ian does an amazing job, and steals the show for every scene he's in. It's hard to pull off a character that you can hate so much, yet like so much, at the same time. Ian does it though, and he deserves serious props for that.
Presentation
Pirates 4 sees the return of the great soundtrack of the first 3 movies. Han Zimmer, I am thanking you for gracing the world of cinema with you music. We are not worthy.
The special effects are done pretty well. You won't see anything Avatar worthy here, but nothing particularily sticks out either. I saw this in 2D, and found everything to be fine. There are a couple scenes at the end of the movie which were CLEARLY made with 3D in mind. And I'm talking about OBVIOUS 3D shots, bordering on Spy Kids 3 ("Let me push this button. *stretches hand out to screen akwardly*"). Alright, maybe not THAT obvious, but still pretty clear.
The main problem with the movie is that you really can't connect with any of the new cast. As I said earlier, most of the characters are new, but the only people who's characters see any real development are Ian and Penelope. It's sad, because the new romance story, while bland, does have room for potential and is left somewhat open ended. I am interested to see where it goes, and I hope they don't just abandon it for Pirates 5. And let's face it; there IS going to be a Pirates 5.
Verdict
So I give Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides a:
7/10
I was never exactly a huge fan of these movies. I'd just watch them, enjoy, and move on. There are some good fight scenes, good acting, and a lot of potential. But the movie is riddled with characters you don't care about, a somewhat confusing plot, and things that just didn't need to be there. If you're a Pirates fan, I will say that it was better than the last two, but not as good as the first. I enjoyed it, but I probably won't remember it in a week or two.
So have you seen Pirates 4? Did you think I was too harsh, or too leniant? Did I miss anything? Let me know.
baylaust out.