This is the film that fans of the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise have been waiting for. Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides sees the deadwood (Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom) cut away and Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp – Rango, The Tourist) is given free reign. In fact they probably should have called the film Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Captain Jack Film, because pretty much the entire film’s focus is on him… luckily Depp is a good enough actor to pull it off.
This time round Captain Jack is on the run from the law as they hunt down pirates, but when he is captured the British offer him a mission for his freedom – go with Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush – The Warrior’s Way, The King’s Speech) and find the Fountain Of Youth before it is discovered by the Spanish. However the journey is not only made harder by the fact that they will have to obtain a number of items to get access to the Fountain Of Youth but also because Jack soon finds himself in the hands of Blackbeard (Ian McShane – The Pillars Of The Earth, The Sorceror’s Apprentice) and his former flame, the beautiful, Angelica (Penelope Cruz – Sex And The City 2, Nine).
Director Rob Marshall (Nine, Memoirs Of A Geisha) really does make a huge statement with this, his first Pirates Of The Caribbean film. Many doubted whether the man that has brought us musicals such as Nine and Chicago had the skills to pull of an action movie, and let it be said that he certainly can. The scene during the battle with the mermaids is sensational (let’s be honest one of the best bits of action that we have seen for 2011) and is topped off with an amazing explosion and stunt that would be far beyond most first time action directors. Even the chase through the streets of London is well shot, and keeps up the suspense.
Of course Marshall’s job is made a little easier thanks to a great script that introduces some great enemies for Jack, while the increased screen time for Barbossa is also a highlight for the audience. This also means that Depp has some great support from Ian McShane and Geoffrey Rush… both of which put in brilliant performances… although did we expect any less? The scriptwriters also need to be congratulated on the fact that they don’t just make Angelica a one dimensional character… and it’s obvious that Cruz enjoyed the role.
This is one of the better films in the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise and if Captain Jack is your favorite character from the series you certainly won’t be disappointed. Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides has it all, a great script, humor, brilliant acting and terrific action. Even the 3D seems to enhance the action scenes, although once again some scenes don’t need it all. Still this is one of the better action flicks of 2011!
Year: 2011
Director: Rob Marshall
Stars: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Penelope Cruz
Classification: M
Runtime: 136 mins
Rating: 