not as good as the original trilogy

Rating: 6/10 (9 April 2015)

In comparison to the original trilogy, "On Stranger Tides" is less inventive, less funny and less impressive. However it still has a few strengths that makes it worth watching.
Pros:
The plot, as always, is great - simple enough to understand, but complex enough to be fascinating. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is conscripted onto the Queen Anne's Revenge, captained by Blackbeard (Ian McShane), where he meets his past love Angelica (Penélope Cruz). They sail for the Fountain of Youth in a race against Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), as well as the Spanish. There's plenty of action, with which the mythology and legends are interwoven wonderfully.
The cinematography, special effects, costuming and design elements are beautiful, just like the original trilogy. They make "On Stranger Tides" a cohesive movie, and ensure that the world of the movie is rich, deep and convincing. Hans Zimmer, again, delivers an amazing soundtrack that complements the story perfectly.
Cons:
The movie takes itself too seriously at times, especially with the romance between Philip (Sam Claflin) the clergyman and Syrena (Astrid Bergès- Frisbey) the mermaid. It seems forced and superficial, and the lines exchanged between them are always over-dramatic. Also, Barbossa's super- serious revenge story is boring, washed-out and clichéd. This comes as a great disappointment because Barbossa's character was hilariously outrageous in the original trilogy.
Which brings me to another point. The humour in this movie was really lacking. There were many moments in the original trilogy where I laughed so hard I cried - Jack's experiences on the cannibal island, the fight on the wheel, Jack and Barbossa arguing over captaincy - but there were no really memorable moments in this instalment. The "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise has always been special because of its absurdity, but this movie just doesn't live up to it.
I wish I could say that Johnny Depp's performance as Jack Sparrow carried the movie for me, but it really didn't. Depp is a great actor but his lines just lack the wit and cleverness that really characterised Jack in the first three movies, and he also lacks swagger. In the original trilogy, Jack's brilliance always came from the way he played everyone for his own benefit, and we don't really see much of that in "On Stranger Tides". His willingness to sacrifice for Angelica undermines his every-man-for-himself nature that made him so likable.
Blackbeard and Angelica's stories lack conviction. She wants to save him because she wants a father figure she's never had - this seems like a very pathetic excuse for sailing to the Fountain of Youth. The best villains are either the ones you love, hate or fear, and Blackbeard fits into none of those categories. In the end I felt nothing towards either of them.
The plot twists in this movie are quite predictable. There was not one surprising moment. The original trilogy was ridiculous and unpredictable and left me wondering what was going to happen next, but "On Stranger Tides" is filled with clichés and shoddy writing that made it lack suspense.
Overall, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is a mediocre movie that is nowhere near as good as the original trilogy, but is still worth watching because of its interesting premise, the nice action scenes, and Richard Griffiths's cameo as King George.