Lacks the Heart of the Original Trilogy

Rating: 5/10 (27 May 2017)

After the original trilogy, there wasn't much story left to tell with Will and Elizabeth, so Disney wished to continue the franchise putting a heavier focus on Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow. On Stranger Tides featured Sparrow at the center of everything, which can be a good and bad thing.
I don't necessarily think it was the best idea to make Sparrow the only character with significant depth, but I also don't think having the story involve mermaids and an overly powerful supernatural villain either. The Pirates films at their best when the stakes are high but are also grounded with some realism. One of the reasons At World's End is a much better film is because there are stakes in that film. William's sacrifice feels earned because we've been with these characters for a few films. I never connected to anyone in On Stranger Tides because the writing never makes a considerable effort to flesh out the characters. The efforts that are made aren't very committed.
As a standalone sequel, which is essentially what this film is, On Stranger Tides is far from awful. It has plenty of fun swashbuckling action scenes that the franchise has always presented. Ian McShane is pretty good as Blackbeard, though he doesn't really compare to anything Bill Nighy or Geoffrey Rush did in the original trilogy. But the film itself presents a far goofier tone than any of those films. Sparrow is even more over the top (believe it or not) and thus removing any human connection to the characters.
I think it's best to treat this entry as a distant cousin people choose not to acknowledge at a party, because it has next to nothing to do with any of the other films (even the most recent film, Dead Men Tell No Tales). There are flashes of the Pirates we know and love but it's nowhere near as grandiose or as magical as its predecessors.
+Flashes of greatness
-Forgettable
-Characters are getting a little too over the top
5.6/10