mess of murky characters

Rating: 4/10 (1 December 2013)

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) returns for the fourth installment of this most unlikely franchise. This time he's after the fabled Fountain of Youth. It's as outlandish as ever. He runs across Angelica Teach (Penélope Cruz)who's been impersonating him. She was once preparing to be a nun when he found her in a convent. Soon he finds out that she's the cruel pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane)'s daughter, and he's forced into leading them to the Fountain of Youth. Meanwhile, Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) is now working for the British and is hot pursuit.
This is a mess of questionable characters with murky motives. The lightness of Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom are gone. We've left with a convoluted plot with unlikeable characters. Jack Sparrow was the rogue in the first one, but in this one, he's the nicest. How did that happened? The newcomer in this one is Penélope Cruz. Let's just say the outfits don't release her biggest assets. Of course she was pregnant during the filming. It doesn't make the movie any better.
Then there is the action. It's has the required swashbuckling, but it lacks the great memorable set pieces. To be honest, I can't remember a single set piece from this movie. Other than Jack Sparrow, there isn't much to watch for in this one.