Jack Sparrow is back...but On Duller Tides I'm Afraid

Rating: 6/10 (12 May 2011)

Just came back from a preview screening in London.
I love the first 2 movies, and I even like the overly ambitious messy third one. I thought this film will try go back to the more witty grass roots that made the first film so enjoyable. Well the story is not as incoherent as the last 2 films but sadly, it is mostly unexciting, dull and pointless. The dialogue lacks the wit of previous entries and the narrative lacked focus. There were sparks of fun here and there but these moments are all too few. It all seemed too trying and stale. The supporting characters were even more dull, apart from Shane's Blackbeard. The action scenes were uninspiring but for some flashes of invention.
Depp's Jack Sparrow has lost some magic but still maintains the spirit of the character that we love and is really the only thing that saves this movie.
One more thing, this movie is darkly lit most of the time, so I strongly advise you not to see this in 3D. It made my experience of watching the movie even worse as it darkens the visuals further, robbing us of what I suspect to be some fine visuals. Furthermore, the action scenes become blurred. It felt like I was watching a really bad pirate video. So this is what cinema has succumbed to? What a painful death for my number one destination for escapism.
Come to think of it, the atrocious 3D may have made me more cynical. Had I seen this in its 2D form, I might have enjoyed it more all round. So please consider watching in 2D so you are not put into a more cynical mood. I will watch it again in 2D and add a post edit to this review.