The best since the original; Depp and Cruz are the main attraction.

Rating: 8/10 (17 July 2011)

Johnny Depp is back as Captain Jack Sparrow once again in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Depp is really what brought life to this series, and unlike the last two films this one focuses on him. Which I was truly glad to see.
Sparrow teams up with an old fling, Angelica(the always likably feisty Penelope Cruz), who is Blackbeard(Ian McShane), to find the mysterious Fountain of Youth. Blackbeard is also after it, and so is Captain Barbossa(Geoffry Rush), who is now a soldier or something.
Occasionally in On Stranger Tides the film loses itself in the action sequences. I wasn't positive about what was going on. But despite that, its a lot of fun. Its almost as enjoyable as the original. Its even better than Dead mans chest and At worlds end.
The reason why is because there aren't too many subplots. Sure, you have to follow a romance between a dude and a mermaid, but at least you don't have to follow Will and Elizabeth. Glad they're out of the picture. Most of the film focuses on Captain Jack, which it should've done before.
The scenes with Depp are the most interesting. OK, the scenes with Depp and Cruz. The two starred together in Blow 10 years ago, and its kind of funny to see them here. Because in that movie, they hated each other, and in this film they sort of do but in a hard to get sort of way.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is a lot of fun. I think its the second best in the series. But they are pushing it now. These are movies based on a ride. There is no need for four films, even if they are all enjoyable. But yet even though the series is pushing it, you should watch it for Cruz and Depp. See it.
B+