On Stranger Tides Of Boredom

Rating: 5/10 (25 May 2011)

Another disappointment and wasted opportunity in what could've been a fantastic rollicking adventure.
First of all, I must say that I've always had a love/hate attitude towards the series. I love it simply because of its genre, the excellent production values, character designs and fantasy elements. Unfortunately, the scale still always tilts towards "hate" and this is why: The script for "On Stranger Tides" is horrible. It is pure Hollywood lazy/formulaic scriptwriting with zero inventiveness. Characters are put in place just to drive the plot along, like gears inside a clock. They are lifeless and evoke no emotion. It is reflected also in the acting, as you can see quite clearly that most of the actors are just hamming it up and going through the motions to get to the end. (Apparently, the focus is on the "end" and not the "journey" here.) Even though I like the character Jack Sparrow, I haven't seen him in an adventure that was worth his salt. In this installment, he downright feels like a side character, as there is really nothing at stake for him other than a failed attempt at creating a past love interest whose life needs saving for stupid reasons. (Daughter of Al Swearengen turned to pirating on the high seas? c'mon!) There are too many things wrong with "On Stranger Tides" on too many levels that if I go on it will just seem like pure whining - which isn't my motive at all. In short, nothing made any sense nor drew any of my feelings or even "stirrings" as Jack Sparrow would like to put it.
Sad to say, I wanted to like this movie. The ingredients are all there for a great adventure but somehow they messed it up. (for instance, if they had made the final minutes of the movie to be the introduction instead, it would give it much more energy and swagger.) Just my two gold coins.