Well, at least it's not as bad as the last one...

Rating: 7/10 (19 May 2011)

Though that isn't really saying much, is it? Most people seem to agree that the first POTC movie was/is/and ever shall remain the best of the franchise. It took me repeated viewings, but over time the second film grew on me and I've since come to rather enjoy it. It was over-long, yes, but at least it was *fun*...unlike the third film, which was - to put it mildly - a mess. So where does this latest film rank? Well, as with the three films before it, On Stranger Tides runs for far too long...but then, we've come to expect that with these movies, haven't we? If only the filmmakers could learn that making the films run for an excessive amount of time does not automatically mean there is more joy to be had. Quite the opposite, in fact. This one has a rather long/slow beginning, and I didn't think things really picked up until the mermaid scene - which was quite a wonder to behold. It's easily the best/most memorable part of the movie. A shame that we took so long to get there.
As far as the actors go, Johnny Depp does his thing as Captain Jack Sparrow. Jack's still his usual old self, but appears to actually show concern for other people from time to time, which is nice. Depp *is* Captain Jack Sparrow, there's no doubt about it. Even when things get boring, he can always be relied upon to brighten up any scene that he's in (hell, even Jack loves himself so much so that he's willing to kiss himself...or, you know, someone pretending to be him - three guesses who that turns out to be). Penélope Cruz is good as Angelica (the maybe daughter of Blackbeard). She's sufficiently feisty and holds her own against Jack. The best exchanges between the two come at the end, when they seemingly part ways (though if you stay after the end credits, you will see possible set-up for how Angelica might find her way back into Jack's life again).
And what of Angelica's maybe father, Blackbeard? Well...at least they got the flaming beard part of him right. Other than that, I didn't find Ian McShane particularly menacing in the role. For a pirate who's supposedly so feared by all, he's really not that fearsome (though the writers try to make him so by having him at one point flambé someone with his ship. Yes, apparently it has flame-throwers in the front of it). Honestly, the most memorable thing about him was watching him meet his fate at the end. He just doesn't compare to Bill Nighy's Davy Jones.
With the Will & Elizabeth storyline pretty much wrapped up at the end of the last film, in place of Orlando Bloom & Keira Knightley are newbies Sam Claflin & Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey as Philip and Syrena (he's a missionary man and she's a mermaid). Philip's main purpose seems to be getting slashed or stabbed. Whereas at least Syrena has an 'other-worldliness' about her and is interesting to watch, thanks to Bergès-Frisbey's portrayal of her. She's really quite something. Whilst spending most of her time in a water-filled box, her character *does* serve a purpose in the long run and helps Jack out (we also get to see her have an Ariel moment and gain legs on land). The 'love story' - if one can call it that - between the two characters is left open-ended. Sadly, the first and most fearsome of the mermaids who we meet - Tamara (played by Aussie Gemma Ward) - is only on screen for the briefest of times. I wish we could have seen more of her, as she really was entrancing. But, hey, at least we got to hear her pretty singing. Yes, like all the films before it, this one has singing (though nowhere near as lame/annoying as the gallows singing in the last film).
Geoffrey Rush is back as Barbossa, though not as we remember him - he's now one of the "King's men" and has a peg leg. Rush is at his best when playing off of Depp, and there's a rare serious moment between Barbossa and Jack when they're tied to trees. Kevin McNally also returns as Gibbs. Frustratingly, he spends most of his time separated from Jack, but they're thankfully reunited at the very end. The rest of the secondary characters are all pretty much unmemorable and/or pointless.
The film looks great of course, and the score is what you've come to expect. While the main POTC theme is as memorable as ever, the new Blackbeard 'theme' is, like him, pretty forgettable.
If things had been trimmed out of the first half of the movie, it might have actually been really good, but there are long periods that appear to be massive wastes of time and numerous sword fights that seem ultimately pointless. The scene where we first see Jack encounter Angelica is memorable, but perhaps that's because it shares similarities to the scene from the first film where Jack met Will. Truly, the one stand-out scene from this new film is the mermaid attack. It's very nicely shot, and quite creepy/tense/exciting. One thing the filmmakers have reined in a bit is the over-use of CGI. It's used to better effect here - the mermaid's tails, for example - rather than just tossing in as much of it as they can like they did last time.
Where things end, yes, there's definitely room for a sequel...but really, is there much point at this stage? While this film is an improvement over the last one (and nowhere near as convoluted), it's still not what I'd class as 'great'. I much prefer the first two, but still, this one is worth seeing if you just can't get enough of pirates, Captain Jack or fang-y mermaids.