Sparrow and Spectacle in another unneeded (but not unwatchable) sequel

Rating: 6/10 (9 November 2017)

Kudos to Pirates 5 for showing us a younger Jack Sparrow, for bringing back Will Turner, for adding some fresh young blood, and for Captain Salazar's (Bardem's) sizzling screen presence.
As for Jack Sparrow, the franchise has left him behind. Sparrow is a puppet meant to be laughed at as the plot whirls him through various comedic scenario's (including a forced marriage at gun point). Sparrow is no longer a catalyst of the tale, he is a victim in it. As you watch, you get the hunch that Depp is so discontent with the franchise that he is deliberate trying to sabotage it though his performance. He is not even even speaking his lines, he is garbling them.
And yet somehow the movie still gets by. If nothing else, it is an improvement over the inert and imagination-free Pirates 4. The set pieces are far more spectacular but still they are far from compelling. When it comes to the 'circus' aspects of the film, directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg are good with the set up but not the punchline. Frantic editing, and poor lighting render most of the action scenes disoritnenting.
The first and final scenes of the movie are the strongest. They are centred around Will Turner's son who seeks to break his father from the curse of the Dutchman. This is the starting point for the film muddled plot which has a beginning and an end, but no middle.
The character of Henry Turner, and his 'girl to be' Carina, bring a hint of something that was missing in the last film; a sense of character purpose. He seeks to free his father, and she to find the map in the stars from a clue that her father left behind. If only the film has given them a little more time. Other highlights of the film include a flashback to the origins of Sparrows rivalry with Salazar's Barbossa's brimming new beard / hairstyle combo, as well as a cute cameo by an almost unrecognizable Paul McCartney.
And then the film ends on the kind of note that is perfect, and very much needed, The kind that brings resolution to it's characters and does not cry out for another sequel.