Pirates Franchise Reborn

Rating: 8/10 (22 May 2011)

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is full of new things. New director, actors, and storyline. After "At World's End" many people thought the series was over. However, Rob Marshall managed to renew one of the most successful movie franchises of all time.
The addition of Penelope Cruz really added to this movie. As Jack's opposite, she really shares some of the same "skills and abilities" Jack does. Blackbeard was also played perfectly by Ian McShane. I would even go as far to say that he is more intimidating of a vicious pirate captain than Barbossa was in "The Curse of the Black Pearl." Overall, the new actors really helped this movie. You couldn't do any more with Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley's involvement in the series, so this is exactly what you needed if you wanted the series to continue.
As far as the length of the movie, it sure did not seem like a mere 2 hours and 17 minutes. That's not a bad thing, either. The last movie, "At World's End," was only about a quarter of an hour away from 3 hours. (which it somewhat had to be because of the climatic battle that had to be at the end) I am saying that this movie had lots of action and plot contained in the shortest running time of all previous movies in the franchise.
Overall, I was very impressed with this movie. Captain Jack was his usual, witty, hilarious self. The witty lines, charm, and action-packed sequences propelled this film. It's like what people say, it seems to return to the style of the "The Curse of the Black Pearl." I definitely recommend watching this movie. And, with the Pirates of the Caribbean 5 script already finished, it appears we will see Captain Jack back before we know it.