Great fun, ah har!

Rating: 8/10 (9 May 2018)

Jack Sparrow, drunk and with a shrunken Black Pearl in a bottle in his pocket, finds himself tasked with helping Will Turner's son Henry find the Trident of Poseidon which will enable him to lift the curse on Will, doomed to captain the Flying Dutchman. Having accidentally acquired the company of young female astronomer Carina, they find their quest dogged by savage anti-pirate undead spirit, Salazar, out for revenge against Sparrow.
Johnny Depp's 5th outing as Jack Sparrow - sorry, CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow - marks a return to form. The first film was a surprise and delight. But, notwithstanding good moments, I felt each of the following films was more disappointing than the one before. Number 5 is pretty good, though.
It has a strong story which is quite complicated, but well put together. And it deals with dangling threads from earlier films and resolves them satisfactorily. For that reason, I think it would be a fitting film with which to end the franchise - go out on a positive note!
Depp can play Sparrow in his sleep by now, but Jack isn't really the main character here. There are plenty of funny lines for him, and good opportunities for drunken mincing, but this film is really Harry, Carina and Salazar. Like I said, there is quite a lot of story on board, and Jack Sparrow's share is quite small. Fortunately, Brenton Thwaites (Henry), Kaya Scodelario (Carina) and Xavier Bardem (Salazar) handle the heavy lifting well.
The other cast members are, of course, more than reliable, from the familiar (Geoffrey Rush, Sparrow's crew etc.) to the new (David Wenham). The action set pieces are every bit as extravagant as we have become used to: the bank robbery is great fun, and the finale is excellent. The CGI is as good as one would expect - the skeletal sharks are hugely impressive, especially in 3D.
And, like so many films this year, there is a strong emphasis on family. And that isn't just Harry Turner's family: a family connection turns up in the most unexpected place, and pays off beautifully.
No one expected a theme park ride to provide the inspiration for a series of hit movies, but I have enjoyed all the Pirates films. This is the best since the original, and - for a number of reasons - it would be a fitting end to the series.