Film review: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Directed by: Rob Marshall

Starring: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush

On at: Baneasa Drive in Cinema, Cinema City Cotroceni, Cinema City Cotroceni – Sala VIP, Cinema City Sun Plaza, CinemaPro, Cityplex, Hollywood Multiplex, Movieplex Cinema, Samsung Imax Cotroceni, The Light Cinema

by Debbie Stowe

Ahoy me hearties, after four long years of being lost at sea, ye olde Pirates of the Caribbean franchise be back for its fourth instalment. Johnny Depp be now enjoyin’ a treasure trove of doubloons for reprisin’ his role of Cap’n Jack Sparrow and puttin’ in a couple of hours of swashbuckling.

Past series stars Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom have jumped ship, so the love interest is now provided by Penelope Cruz, as a feisty first mate with whom Jack has history. In the villain corner, there’s leathery old Blackbeard (British actor Ian McShane), some zombie pirates, duplicitous mermaids and faceless Spaniards.

They’re all – except the mermaids who are splashing about a bit and trying to kill and eat everyone – on a quest to reach the Fountain of Youth, which can extend the lifespan of the one who drinks from it.

This basic premise is embellished with various subplots, some of which assume knowledge of the previous films. Should you have avoided these, be informed that the character of Barbossa, a captain of one of the ships rushing towards the fountain, used to be bad but now he’s good and annoyed that the Black Pearl ship has been shrunk and put in a bottle by Blackbeard who can do voodoo. Got it?

Don’t worry about it if not because the plot is not of major import. On Stranger Tides’ chief highlight is the use of location. From the opening scenes in 18th-century London and the pirate ship, to the jungle around the Fountain of Youth as well as the fountain itself, the settings are impressive, particularly in 3D.

The stars – who include two Oscar winners, Cruz and Geoffrey Rush as fellow buccaneer Barbossa – all put in a decent turn, with Depp’s effortless high-camp-on-the-high-seas routine showing why his presence is so essential to the franchise. There are some funny lines and proceedings sail along with characteristic brio.

One bum note is the violence. Of course, pirates were not known for their peace-loving ways, so it’s natural to expect a few characters to meet an unpleasant demise. But amid the fun sword fights and set piece set-tos are scenes of brutality and cruelty that will upset younger viewers, surely the film’s target audience.

It’s hard to return with a fourth film after a long gap – look at Die Hard and Star Wars. It is inevitable that some of the freshness and verve that have made the serious such a juggernaut will have waned. But the huge commercial wattage of the first three Pirates outings along with the shipshape A-list crew probably ensure On Stranger Tides will shiver enough timbers for the makers.

editorial@business-review.ro

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