Saturday, June 04, 2011

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (2011) - Movie Review

Johnny Depp is desperate to breathe life into this franchise and it is gasping for breath. When the extended and elongated two sequels that followed the first installment came, the graphics and the adventurous sea fights were the highlights for this reviewer. By this fourth time around there is not much to expect than series of Captain Jack Sparrow’s tilted walks, permanently inebriated speech patterns and lot of ocean to look forward to. Yet there is an obligation by this reviewer and thus I did so for this fourth installment.

The main star of the franchise is back for some more adventures, searches and confusions. They are in the hunt for the “Fountain of Youth” and why? Because to introduce two new characters with big names, Ian McShane and Penelope Cruz as Edward “Blackbeard” Teach and his supposed daughter Angelica who is also an ex-lover of our beloved Jack. Blackbeard has complete control over his ship and is a bad ass when it comes to sea in looting and plundering ships and wealth on his ways as would any pirate would aspire. As with magical powers comes predictions and prophecy. One such states that Blackbeard will be killed by a one legged man and hence the hunt to keep his heart beating.

Apart from my laziness in writing reviews lately, when I began writing this piece, all I could think of is what are the things that I can talk about to even say it is not good? That being said and the thrive to earn bazillion more dollars from this franchise, director Rob Marshall takes up the job from Gore Verbinski and does not go for the complexity his predecessor went for in these ventures. He understands this business concept and with cooperation from Johnny Depp as the major asset would fulfill any moviegoer that are looking for antics of Sparrow and some special effects fireworks.

Incidentally the first “Pirates of the Caribbean” was the very first film I watched in a theatre after I came to US. I was rudely introduced to the concept of not having intervals which I grew up with. This caused additional dislike towards the film but when I later watched on a relaxed weekend, it did its job. It had its tactical Johnny Depp working his character and making him repulsive, comic and unusually likable. After two more films, Captain Jack Sparrow is no longer those and has wore down considerably. Sometimes it does surprise me why would he even take up a venture like this as he has been quite intelligent though whimsical in his role selections.

There is a side romance plot between a mermaid and a missionary which does not have any kind of depth or even the glossy shallowness sometimes a better movie good do over. Ian McShane is purely here to have fun and I am sure he had lot of it but the movie became from an entertainment into an ordeal for me. I skipped “Fast Five” coming so close to watching it. It was a personal conscience playing and discouraging by not paying one more ticket for this intolerable festivals of sequels of chasing cars. Strangely it got so many good reviews. I now keep kicking myself why did not I watch that and skip this. I ended the previous film with the note “And every soul beckons this one be the end of this chain of Pirates of the Caribbean” and I seriously wish they do.

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