Thrills, Excitement, Good Acting, Lousy Script

Rating: 7/10 (26 May 2017)

As is typical with franchises, each new installment is worse than the last.
The centerpiece of the franchise is the acting of Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush. The more they give them to do, the better the film. Unfortunately, as has been noted by other reviewers, they don't give them much to do in this film, despite that they are on screen a lot.
The supporting cast does a good job. But, again, they are saddled with a lousy script.
One of the desirable qualities of a script, or any story, is that you don't know see what's coming. The element of surprise. Unfortunately, in this film, you can see everything coming from a mile away.
The ending obviously has been designed to lead into the next film. Like it or not, there's a major issue that must be resolved.
It seems that the only thing important to the studio is action. There's plenty of that. And, can't argue with success, that makes them money. That's what makes everyone in Hollywood money.
The entire franchise appears to be set in the late 18th century, with the latest film PotC 5 set approximately 20 years after PotC 4. By this time, no one was killing witches. So, I consider that aspect of the film to be a flaw. It really doesn't have any notable effect on the film, but it really doesn't have any good reason to be there. either.