Unexpectdedly good

Rating: 8/10 (23 October 2017)

I know we all want to slag off a franchise that has supposedly outstayed its welcome and it certainly felt that way judging by the last couple of films in the series, but this one was surprisingly watchable. It had a few really well pulled off set pieces, (the bank job, all the sea footage etc etc), and a stunning ace with Javier Bardem's revenge driven character. Geoffrey Rush added new depth to his character while keeping the ground he'd already made with him intact, as did Kevin McNally with his Gibbs character. The backward steps didn't really detract from the ride but certainly didn't help. Depp's Jack Sparrow didn't add anything to the soup except a few cheap laughs,although flash back scenes were nice. The new characters were sufficient in their roles as Henry Turner (Will and Elizabeth's son) and 'scientist' Carina Smyth. The special effects and stunts were outstanding. Especially Barden's effects makeup, matched with his delivery, adding real menace to his character. The aforementioned bank scene, the guillotine scene, multiple sailing ship battles and crashes, all looked and felt stunning. And foremost, the story was tight and relevant to the POTC legend. It linked in with the themes of the series and expanded on them nicely. This is nowhere near as bad as I've read it is, and is much better than the last 2 installments thanks to the points noted above. Totally worth a watch.