So glad Captain Jack Sparrow is back and excited for the next one!

Rating: 8/10 (23 September 2017)

If you're looking for a Pirates of the Caribbean film filled with fantasy, pirates, action, adventure and fun, this is the movie for you. However, don't expect it to be on par with the first movie of the beloved franchise.
I found the storyline of the film easy to follow, unlike what many reviews have stated. Yes, it does take ideas from previous films (eg. undead enemies who can't walk on land), but the story still feels fresh. Some people complain that the storyline was incoherent. I disagree; it was easy to follow - they're all looking for the trident and Salazar wants revenge. It was an easier plot to follow than At World's End, which I had to watch a few times and later research to fully understand the various plot lines and character arcs.
The film seems to tread on fine line between witty, clever humour and stupid, not-so-funny jokes. For me, I enjoyed it and found it fun to watch.
However, there were some elements of the story that were unnecessary. Firstly, the wedding scene. I have no idea why they filmed something like that. It was just out of the blue, served no purpose to the plot, rather revolting to watch, and a scene you could just remove and the film would still be the same. Even Wikipedia doesn't bother mentioning it as part of the plot. Secondly, the British Navy. They are somewhat prominent at the start of the film but once Jack and his crew set sail, they're just killed off later.
Captain Jack Sparrow is still my favourite character and I wouldn't want to watch a PotC film without him. However, in this film, I admit that he seems to lack some of his wit and cleverness, and appears drunker and, dare I say, a bit stupid. Even in On Stranger Tides he was still smart and could conjure up ways to overcome the enemy. Eg. I believe the original Jack would know the value of his compass and never give it up like he did in this one. It is possible that the writers of this film wanted Jack to look like he was past his 'prime' time and really had lost his luck. If that was the reason, I can accept that. Despite this, there are still moments where we get a glimpse of the original Jack and his wit, like when he's threatening to throw Henry overboard or when he's teaching Henry how to properly raise a sword.
Henry and Carina – I think they're great. I think Thwaites and Scodelario did a great job. In their defense, it is hard to make your character stand out when you've got such interesting and popular characters like Jack and Barbossa.
The enemy, Captain Salazar, was menacing. I think he was a better villain than Blackbeard (On Stranger Tides). It was probably the backstory between Salazar and Jack that allowed me to understand him a bit more, which I think is crucial; understanding a villain's motivations.
I like the action sequences, particularly the scene where they're rescuing Jack and Carina from execution, young Jack doing the boot leg turn to evade Salazar, and when Jack and Henry are trying to escape the sharks. Unfortunately, you don't get to see much impressive sword fighting like you do in the first three films. All you get is Salazar taking a couple of swipes with a sword whilst Jack blocks him.
I've read some ridiculous complaints about pacing – the pacing in this film was fine. Honestly, there are films out there with much worse pacing. (I watched some other film recently and the horrible pacing made it even more confusing than it already was – it kept switching between flashbacks and present time, large scale yet really short action scenes to long confessions of love, etc.)
I was quite impressed with the CGI and visual effects. Particularly of Salazar's dead crew and the shot of the sea separating apart. I really liked the sequence where Salazar is unleashing the sharks because I thought it looked quite realistic.
The music, as always, is magnificent. It's one of the main reasons why I love this franchise. This film has a different composer – Geoff Zanelli. People have mentioned that he is just reusing themes from previous films, which I affirm. However, since I love all of those themes anyway, I'm not complaining. You do get to hear some new themes from Zanelli. I think when you watch the film again you can hear those themes more clearly (since the first time you're still absorbing all the impressive CGI effects). My favorite theme is Salazar's theme ("El Matador Del Mar") and the new action theme ("I've Come With the Butcher's Bill").
In conclusion, I believe Dead Men Tell No Tales is a great movie. I don't think it's as bad as some people say, so I encourage you to watch it if you're looking for a movie of adventure and fun. Whilst it doesn't quite live up to the first three movies, it's still a few steps up from On Stranger Tides.