A new movie with new adventures, new actors, but in all honestly, really just more of the same.

Rating: 6/10 (21 May 2011)

For those of you who don't know, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth film in Disney's Pirates franchise has officially been released. A new movie with new adventures, new actors, but in all honestly, really just more of the same.
The film started off well enough, with Johnny Depp, once again embodying the role of Captain Jack Sparrow, making his grand entrance while trying to save his first mate, Gibbs (played of course by Kevin McNally) from the gallows. Then on to a failed escape and yet another grand (or familiar) entrance by the great Geoffrey Rush as the infamous Barbossa. Captain Jack makes another terrific, and comical escape, leading to a chase producing one of the best filmed sequences in the movie.
All right this is what I liked about the movie: That chase sequence, and some of the better choreographed fights, Blackbeard and his daughter Angelica, played by the gorgeous Oscar winner Penélope Cruz, and the fantastically underused, Ian McShane. Sparrow and Angelica's interactions were some of the best scenes in the film as well as the big mermaid sequence.
Now for what I didn't like: the Spanish's pursuit of the Fountain of Youth, just felt useless. The romance between the religious boy and the mermaid, Astrid Berges-Frisbey and Sam Claflin, just was not that interesting. The fact that Blackbeard was so fantastically underwritten, and the loss of momentum starting after the first big chase.
Other than the mermaid surprise, back before I even knew of their involvement in the film, I was down right shocked by the choice of Rob Marshall as this film's director. Marshall is a well known as a Tony Award nominated choreographer and director, and even more well known as the Academy Award winning director of the musical Chicago.
All in all, I really only liked the film in bits and pieces, Penélope Cruz and Ian McShane as Angelica and Blackbeard, Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, the idea of the story (even if the script itself left more to be desired). First time Pirates director, Robb Marshall did well enough, though not as good as we could have hopped. He directed the fight and chase sequences like grand musical numbers, giving the audience some fantastic moments, but in the end the film as a whole, fell flat to my expectations. We don't get good movies out of the bits and pieces of good moments do we? As for all you hard core Pirates and Jack Sparrow fans out there, I'm sure you will enjoy the film as the heart and soul of the franchise, Mr. Johnny Depp, was used in almost every scene. The film should have revamped the series, instead they played it safe with a glossy studio film, made seemingly only to keep interest in the series. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides gets an 8 for the good use of Penélope Cruz, Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush. A 4 for not bringing anything new to the series, pacing issues and the terribly small amount of screen time for Ian McShane. In the end the fourth Pirates movie left me a little unsatisfied, and after averaging it out Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, gets a 6 which stands for average.