The best one since the 1st Pirates of the Caribbean!

Rating: 8/10 (29 July 2017)

Ignore the critics on this one - this is a wonderful return to form for the Pirates franchise! Fun, entertaining and filled with tons of clever set-pieces, directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg add so much inventiveness to the action - the bank vault opening scene, the guillotine set-piece, the naval battle cannons scene, numerous thrilling underwater sequences - and makes Pirates 5, for the first time in a long time, a movie that resembles being on a theme park ride, which is what a Pirates movie is supposed to be!
Pirates 5 also completely succeeds to do the thing that Force Awakens failed to do. What is it you asked? Let's face it, both films are trying to capitalize on our love for the original by evoking its spirit with familiar story beats -- two star-crossed love birds, another undead CG army, a plot to seek out a McGuffin treasure of sorts - except Pirates 5 captures that spirit while still adding something new to this installment. Clearly, Carina and Henry were designed to evoke Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, but the actors do such a good job of winning you over that you stop making the comparisons. Of the two, Kaya Scodelario is the breakout star. She's beautiful, charming, feisty, intelligent and has all the qualities you want in a strong heroine lead. Pirates 5 also feels like a course-correction, learning from past mistakes - no more convoluted plot and bloated runtime!
But what about Jack Sparrow? Alas, this movie isn't perfect, and Sparrow isn't the same swashbuckling anti-hero, instead he's become a bit of a buffoon who gets away with sheer luck rather than wit. But none of this matters coz you'll be too busy marvelling at the inventive action sequences of which Sparrow still gets to do lotsa cool stuff, including a flashback scene where he reminds you why he's the badass, iconic character of the franchise. Not to mention the movie has an incredibly heartfelt ending that is emotionally satisfying for the fans of the franchise, of which there are still many :) Here is a film that finally rewards their loyalty.