*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
Since the release of the first film in 2003, the Pirates Of The Caribbean films have gone on to become one of the most successful franchises. Despite this, the films themselves have received a lot of criticism. The first film, The Curse Of The Black Pearl, received a lot of praise for its originality and fast-paced adventure and the humour that came from Johnny Depp's performance as Captain Jack Sparrow. Unfortunately, the sequels have been criticised, mainly for the plot and length of the film. However, for me, personally, I love the Pirates films, especially the first three. I recently re-watched them and I can't understand the criticism they received. Both Dead Man's Chest and At World's End featured a compelling story full of twists and turns and it featured a lot of interesting character developments, especially in Keira Knightley's Elizabeth Swann, the Governor's daughter who wants to be a pirate. The final battle sequence that took place in At World's End was thrilling and dramatic. I think that the reason why the first three were really good was because of the director, Gore Verbinski, who is best known for directing The Ring. In all three of the Pirates films, he captures the dark tone and scary atmosphere of the world that the titular pirates live in. Unfortunately, he didn't return for the fourth film, On Stranger Tides, and was replaced by Rob Marshall who, at first, didn't seem the most likely director as he'd previously directed the musical, Chicago. However, while On Stranger Tides wasn't as good as the first three, it wasn't that bad. To be honest, I think that the series should've ended with the fourth one, however, the film left on a cliffhanger, indicating that there was going to be a fifth film. And, six years later, Dead Man Tell No Tales (also known as Salazar's Revenge) has finally been released.
Dead Man Tell No Tales finds down-on-his-luck Captain Jack feeling the winds of ill-fortune blowing strongly his way when deadly ghost sailors, led by the terrifying Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), escape from the Devil's Triangle bent on killing every pirate at sea-notably Jack. Jack's only hope of survival lies in the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it he must forge an uneasy alliance with Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), a brilliant and beautiful astronomer, and Henry (Brenton Thwaites), a headstrong young sailor in the Royal Navy. At the helm of the Dying Gull, his pitifully small and shabby ship, Captain Jack seeks not only to reverse his recent spate of ill fortune, but to save his very life from the most formidable and malicious foe he has ever faced.
Unfortunately, Dead Man Tell No Tales doesn't feel like a Pirates Of The Caribbean film because, for one, it's not even set in the titular Caribbean. The tone is different to the first four and it, at times, feels like a parody with all the slapstick comedy. I think this is mainly down to the fact the film has two directors, Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, directing their first Hollywood film. There are many sequences that are intended for comic relief but look too ridiculous to be funny. I think that if Rønning and Sandberg had focused more on telling a compelling story that is just as good as its predecessors, they could've toned down the humour. That's what I liked about the previous films. They had moments of comic relief but it wasn't necessarily a comedy as the films focused more on the narrative rather than making people laugh.
One of the best things about the Pirates films was Depp's performance as Captain Jack Sparrow. He brought humour to the role and improvised most of his dialogue which made him even more of an unpredictable character. Unfortunately, because of the controversy surrounding his relationship with Amber Heard in 2015 and last year, his performance isn't as good as what it once was.
One of the newcomers include Bardem as the villain, Salazar, who is an improvement on On Stranger Tides' Captain Blackbeard, played by Ian McShane. Bardem is best known for his villainous roles including Silva in the 2012 James Bond film, Skyfall, and his Oscar-winning performance as Anton Chigurh in the 2007 film, No Country For Old Men. While Salazar isn't as scary or unpredictable as the two aforementioned characters, he still poses a threat to Jack and, like Anton Chigurh, kills a lot of innocent people in order to achieve his plan of getting revenge on Jack.
As Will Turner's (Orlando Bloom) son, Thwaites captures his on-screen father's charm and determination. Like Will with his father in Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, Henry wants to free his father from the curse of the Flying Dutchman. Scodelario is fierce and feisty as Carina and, despite judgments from other people, she remains headstrong throughout and leads the pirate to finding the Trident of Poseidon. Both Thwaites and Scodelario have more chemistry than the two love interests, Philip (Sam Claflin) and Syrena (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey), from On Stranger Tides.
For those hoping to see a lot of Bloom and Knightley in this latest installment, you'll be disappointed as Bloom is only seen in the opening sequence and doesn't appear again until he's reunited with Knightley in the film's climax. For me, I loved seeing both Will and Elizabeth reunite as their love story was effectively written throughout the three films.
While Dead Man Tell No Tales doesn't feel like a Pirates Of The Caribbean film, it's still fairly entertaining and is never boring. To those argued that the running length of the previous films was too long will be happy to know that this latest installment only runs at 129 minutes. This means that the action runs at a fast pace and features a lot of adventurous sequences.
It's a shame that the quality of the Pirates films have decreased since On Stranger Tides. The Pirates film have the potential to tell creative and imaginative narratives with interesting characters.
A sixth film has been announced and, if this latest installment is as successful as its predecessors as the box office, it'll be released within the next few years. I just hope that the next film can improve on Dead Man Tell No Tales' flaws.
7/10
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