Fun, exciting, but not great

Rating: 7/10 (27 May 2017)

I think the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was one of the first movie series together with star wars that I absolutely adored. At Worlds End was the first 'non-kidsfilm' I saw in a movie theatre. I saw Salzar's Revenge yesterday and right of the bat, the music and sets brought me back to 10 years ago. The overall movie is a fun and exciting experience. Other than the nostalgia I felt, the movie wasn't really memorable.
They introduced new characters, such as Henry and Carina, but they weren't as memorable as Captain Jack Sparrow or Will Turner. The music wasn't scored by Hans Zimmer this time. That is probably the reason why the score is made up of variations of the original movies' score, but I don't really mind it.
Bardem's and Rush's acting is like I was used to. They are both really committed actors and that's clear by watching the movie. It is clear that Depp just agreed to do this movie to get a fat pay check. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Paul McCartney in a scene, but that scene could have easily been cut and it wouldn't have made a difference. Still, considering I'm a huge Beatles fan, watching McCartney perform and even singing a Beatles song (Maggie Mae) was fun and put a smile on my face.
The film takes off by introducing Henry to the audience. Henry's motivations are explained in a believable way. He wants to find the Trident of Poseidon which can break any sea curse to save his father, Will Turner, from his curse that goes back to the third movie. After that, the main villain, Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), is introduced. The scene is well shot and you can feel the tension of the characters. After that, a huge (and probably very expensive) action sequence takes place where we meet the old gang. The pirates (Jack, Gibbs, Scrum and some others) try to rob an unrobable vault on the island of Sint-Maarten. The action is way over the top, like we are used to in these movies, but it is very fun to watch. During the heist, we are greeted by another new character, Carina. Her character is a strong, female scientist in a world ruled by men. I really like the writers' idea to constantly make fun of the idea. The fact that she is a woman of science is constantly mocked by her being called a witch. It's a nod to the cinema of the past 2-3 years, where classic franchises, such as Ghostbusters, are remade with female leads, just because they are women, but they're not given anything special that differentiates them from their male counterparts. It's something I'd not expected from Disney, but I'm very pleased they made this choice. After the heist, the audience is introduced to 'A new Jack Sparrow'. Sparrow, once the most famous, successful pirate in the Caribbean, is losing the support of his crew because of his greedy lifestyle and the fact that he has become the most miserable pirate in the Caribbean, it's like Johnny Depp is playing himself. Not much is done with this subplot other than an occasional joke. To me, it's just an excuse to let Jack wonder around Sint-Maarten on his own, so that he can release Salazar by giving away his compass. When Salazar is released, he's out for revenge on Jack Sparrow. With the help of Barbossa, who finds Jack's compass, he tries to find Jack and kill him. The only hope for Jack to lift his curse is finding the Trident of Poseidon. After that, the film just consists of action scenes, silly jokes and minor character development. In other words, not much to talk about.
Another aspect of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, are the groundbreaking visual effects. ILM, once again, didn't let us down and delivered some beautiful, convincing CGI mixed with some amazing practical sets. I often had to guess what was real and what was fake. The sound design by Skywalker Sound was great, like always. When it comes to visual and sound effects, there is absolutely nothing to complain.
All in all, I hope they never make a POTC film again. Not because they're bad films, but in my opinion, they should've finished the franchise with the third film. The ending of the film didn't really suggest the making of a sequel, but that satisfied feeling quickly went away when the post credit scene revealed that Davy Jones might be coming back in a potential sequel. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
I think the movie is entertaining and really worth a watch. It's good fun, but don't expect anything groundbreaking or revolutionary. I wouldn't say it's as good as At Worlds End, but it's definitely better than On Stranger Tides.