PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

In 2003, the first film in the Pirates of the Caribbean series was released and was a surprise hit making over $654 million at the box office. People had low expectations as it was based on a ride at Disney's theme park. However, it proved to be better than what people had expected and went on to receive critical acclaim and was even nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Actor in a Leading Role for Johnny Depp, Best Make-up and Best Visual Effects. Two sequels were released, Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, which both were incredibly successful at the box office and were each the highest grossing films of their years. Of course, this led to a huge amount of pressure for the fourth film, On Stranger Tides, and also for newcomer, Rob Marshall, who took over the directing reins from Gore Verbinski. Unfortunately, On Stranger Tides isn't as good as its predecessors but it's still a solid addition to the franchise.

Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) crosses paths with a woman from his past, Angelica (Penélope Cruz), and he's not sure if it's love - or if she's a ruthless con artist who's using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn't know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past. In a subplot, we see Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) wanting to find the Fountain but, with Sparrow currently owning the map, Barbossa must rely on Sparrow's former shipmate, Gibbs (Kevin McNally), to find the location of the Fountain.

Many have said that this sequel was unnecessary and I disagree. The previous film, At World's End, ended with Captain Barbossa introducing his crewmates to the Fountain of Youth but discovering that Sparrow has stolen the map for it so it made sense that the producers wanted to carry on with that story and make another film.

Depp, Rush and McNally are, currently, the only three actors to have appeared in all four of the current Pirates films. This proves how dedicated they are to this franchise and their characters. We see another side to Sparrow as we see him develop romance with Angelica, however, he still remains as comical as ever. Between At World's End and On Stranger Tides, Barbossa lost his leg and the Black Pearl due to a battle between him and Blackbeard. This leads to his motivation to finding the Fountain before Blackbeard and getting revenge. The villain of the previous two films was Bill Nighy's Davy Jones who proved to be as terrifying as he looked. McShane takes the role as the antagonist and, while not as intimidating, still poses a threat to Sparrow and comes across as incredibly selfish. His on-screen daughter, Angelica, is perfectly flirtatious but is she really all she seems? 

Both Bloom and Knightley's characters added some romance to the films and their chemistry was enjoyable to watch. The pair are replaced by Philip (Sam Claflin), a religious member of the Queen Anne's Revenge, and Syrena (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey), a mermaid who is kidnapped by Blackbeard for her tears. While both do what they can with their roles, their relationship isn't that interesting and could easily have been cut out. Syrena isn't as fiery as Knightley's Elizabeth Swann and fails to leave an lasting impression. Claflin is basically a one-dimensional Prince Charming. 

With a runtime of 136 minutes, this is the shortest of the four in the series. This means that the story moves at a far more brisk pace but leaves certain characters undeveloped. It's a solid entry into the franchise. Making a film that is on the same level as the three previous films is an incredibly challenging task but, nevertheless, it's still enjoyable.

Overall, Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides isn't the best but is still a solid addition to the franchise

7/10

Read my review of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl here.

Read my review of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest here.

Read my review of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End here.