The final quarter kills a good film (once again)

Rating: 5/10 (24 May 2017)

Here's how every 'Pirates of the Caribbean' sequel seems to go: it starts off fun, light-hearted and clever, then as things go along it becomes more and more convoluted until it reaches the point where it becomes so self-loving and obsessed with it's own cleverness that it is nothing short of unwatchable. Unfortunately 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' is no different, however it is better than some of the previous installments.
Unless you somehow have managed to care enough to follow the mythology that the stories follow, then you (like me) are here for Johnny Depp playing 'Jack Sparrow'. You're happy for there to be a story and for other characters to have their time in the spotlight, but at the end of the day you've paid your $20 to see Depp. That's why the last quarter of these films is always so disappointing, because his character almost always becomes nothing more than a chess piece in the extravagant action sequences.
The first 3/4 of the film, where Depp is allowed to do what he does best, are admittedly very good. Almost all of his jokes land and the film keeps a good pace avoiding being bogged down by storytelling. Javier Bardem is the other bright light in this film. His performance is genuinely scary at times. These films are incredibly frustrating because they truly could be great, but instead always end up sinking into mediocrity.