Captain Jack Sparrow returns!

Rating: 5/10 (2 June 2011)

Right away I'll start by saying that this will probably be a biased review. I've loved POTC since it came out 8 years ago, so when I went to see this, my mind was already saying that I would love the film.
On Stranger Tides may well be the best Pirates since the original one. That maybe because the majority of the cast are new, so now we can grow to love other characters. Jack, Barbossa & Gibbs are the only characters that return, making this an easy film to watch for newcomers. There are next to no references to the trilogy, which kind of sucks (I would have liked them to mentioned that people who died on the Black Pearl at the beginning became Will Turner's crew) but it doesn't ruin the film.
Johnny Depp still plays the legend that is Captain Jack Sparrow, and still plays him superbly. Geoffrey Rush once again steals the show as Barbossa. Every scene he is in is brilliant. I didn't think to much of Penelope Cruz, but she still was a good character.
I have to mention the mermaid scene, as it is one of the best scenes of all four films. At the beginning of the scene, you are told that they are evil, but, like the pirates, it's very hard to tell that they'll kill you! The music in the scene as well is very creepy, but at the same time it's such a beautiful score. It is, by far, the scene I will always remember from the film.
Unfortunately, Barbossa doesn't get nearly as much screen time as most other characters. I found myself waiting for Jack and Barbossa to be in a scene together, and sure enough, when they meet during their adventure, the scene is hilarious. It's that kind of banter that made me fall in love with the series.
I also hated how they killed Blackbeard. He is such as legend in the pirate world, and they only give him one film. With him and the other legend of the seas, Davy Jones, dead, I can't think of another villain they can use.
I instantly recommend that you watch this film, even if you haven't watch the first three. Let's hope this is the first of another trilogy!