Pirates of the Caribbean, On Stranger Tides--A Movie Review

Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean 4
Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffery Rush, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane
Rating: PG-13
My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

***************************************************

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) finds his life extremely complicating. Busting his first mate, Gibbs, out of jail hasn't gone like he wanted; King George II has approached him about leading an expedition to reach the Fountain of Youth before the Spanish; he has encountered Captain Barbossa (Geoffery Rush) again and discovered that Black Pearl has fallen into enemy hands; and to top it off, someone is posing as Jack Sparrow.....and they are forgetting that "he" is a captain. Yep. Jack has a lot on his plate.

The thing most prevalent on Captain Jack Sparrow's mind is finding out who is impersonating him. Turns out it is Angelica (Penelope Cruz), an old flame of Jack's and the daughter of the dreaded pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane). Possessing voodoo powers, Angelica gets Jack aboard her father's ship and forces him to lead the way to the Fountain of Youth.

Why is Jack the one everyone desires to lead an expedition? Apparently, he had...or now Gibbs has it....a map leading to the destination of the Fountain of Youth. Two silver chalices and a tear from a mermaid are needed in order for the waters to reach their full effect; Jack is "instructed" to lead to those. Meanwhile, Barbossa has Gibbs in tow and the two of them follow Captain Jack, Blackbeard and the rest. Here's the kicker: Barbossa is a privateer in the Royal Navy and on a mission to kill the man who gave him a wooden leg--a man by the name of Blackbeard. As you can see, excitement, betrayal, and the whole nine yards await.

********************************************************************************

I bought into Disney's scheme. Jerry Bruckheimer and the Disney bosses obviously made "On Stranger Tides" in the hopes that those who had watched the first three would pay and see another one. It might be missing the central characters of Will and Elizabeth, but it was still part of the franchise and most people love franchise movies. Well, I didn't see it initially; I waited several months. But I still laid down my money and lined the pockets of already well lined ones ;-)

I was one who was none too thrilled about Pirates 4. When I had read that Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley were not participating, I moaned. When I heard that the two funny pirates would be absent, I sighed. When I read that they were giving Captain Jack a love interest in the form of Penelope Cruz, I grimaced. It certainly appeared as if the magic would be absent, a magic that made me love the first one and want to see stories to come to fruition.

Now that I have seen the film, I can say that for the first hour or so, I really felt like the magic was gone; I didn't see any signs of why I enjoyed Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man's Chest, or At World's End. (I say I enjoyed them....number 1 is hands down the best one. Two isn't great; three is moderately better.) I raised my eyebrows at how unrealistic the love angle was. I barely laughed at anything. I found the plot lines even more convoluted and confusing than before. Suffice it to say, I didn't have high hopes.....but I did grow to be entertained by the movie as it went on.

The movie could have been made more enjoyable, in my opinion, if certain characters had been cut out. Blackbeard's character did work; in fact, I liked the storyline about him and Barbossa. The storyline involving a religious crew member and a mermaid was on the sweet side; it helped ease the pain of not having Will and Elizabeth (just barely though). My issue lied in Angelica. Sorry, the first three movies were all about Jack being a rogue. The thought of him even remotely having a love interest is laughable. Another thing I struggled with....the scenery. It was beautiful, but it did not seem geographically accurate. Yet I am not one to complain when I see green. The musical score, however, remained the same and let me tell you, it is one of my favorite movie scores. (I can pick it out a mile away =)

Like with every Pirates movie, this one does have some borderline content. Language is at a minimum, though nothing major is used. There is blood, shooting, some odd voodoo moments....you know, just like a normal Pirate movie. Sexual content is veiled under the guise of some off color remarks and yes, the mermaids. The mermaids have gotten a lot of exposure in reviews. Here is the deal, they are topless. From behind, we see bare backs, though it never, ever, goes too low. Their fronts are covered with long hair. Yes, everything looks transparent, but honestly, I was expecting worse. They could have been more covered, and if you have a problem with it, I don't advise watching the film, as a mermaid is in the bulk of the last half. My dad and brother weren't bothered or thought it too much (and trust me, they will tell you.) These mermaid were not your Ariel mermaids; they are evil mermaids....all except one, but I will not give the plot away.

So, am I glad I watched the movie? That depends. I mean, I was highly entertained for over two hours; I found it quite enjoyable to some degrees. But did I love it? No...nothing will compare to the first film. (Most never do)