Pale and flat compare to the predecessors

Rating: 5/10 (30 May 2011)

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES is the latest addition to a franchise that I personally think ended at part three. In one word, the whole film was forced. But to say it was bad solely on the fact that it was forced is being too rash, rather it was actually fine when compared to most any other sequel (TERMINATOR SALVATION, anyone?). Overall, the film was mediocre.
The plot takes liberty in setting up a new adventure for Jack Sparrow since things seemed wrapped up in AT WORLD'S END and while this looks promising, it's not. The expedition to the Fountain of Youth is admittedly interesting on paper since this would branch deeper into pirate lore but what we get instead is a mash up of random ideas most probably thought up by kids. Ranging from vampire mermaids, zombies, a flamthrower ship that isn't even used that much again after its introduction and flying ropes of doom (easily the worst weapon on screen in years), the creativity that once surrounded the POTC franchise with so much intrigue and mystique has been thrown out the window in favor of kid-friendly crap (the Kraken and Barbossa's skeleton crew were definitely not kid friendly).
The characters didn't help much; even Depp who as always plays an effective character on screen can't do much to salvage the film from already being a disappointment. The rest of the cast all seem to be cartoon characters from a TV show about pirates stuck into a live action movie; either that or they were forgettable. Instead of pirates, we get joke characters who rely on humor or two dimensional villainy to make their presence felt. Barbossa has degraded as a character compared to his previous appearances but was still fun to watch while Angelica just wasn't engaging enough.
The worst offender has to be Blackbeard; when compared to Davy Jones, he could've been a wonderful contrast to the otherworldly Jones since he would just be a normal human being who was feared by everyone on the high seas. He could've been the pirate world's answer to the end of the supernatural age that ended when Davy Jones died but instead we get a clichéd, two dimensional old man who's trying desperately to be the villain. Blackbeard just appears in the scene acting evil; all he does on screen is flaunt about how weak the good are, how awesome he is as the bad guy and that's it. Thanks to this his actions are pretty predictable right up to the end.
Even the action wasn't much; I don't mind the fact that there are no ship battles anymore since the story concentrates on the expedition on an island but watching a bunch of stunts isn't that exciting. To make matters worse, the music seemed recycled. I know this is a small detail, but it was the music that made the first three films come to life and now that they're just recycling them, the magic is lost.
The film does have its moments though, some in humor, good dialogue or in a decent action sequence or two but overall the film was still a big disappointment. As a fan of the original trilogy, I feel that while this film still manages to maintain the feel and spirit of a PIRATES film, it was a downer. There was so much potential in the premise and the characters but in the end, all those element just couldn't add up and make a great film. If all you want is a time waster, then go ahead and check this out. Otherwise, stay away from it.