Say what you want about Jerry Bruckheimer's rip roaring Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but they are consistent. If you don't know what you're going to get by now then a banishment to the lower decks is in your future. The fourth film jettisons longtime director Gore Verbinski, who always had a particular knack for the grandiose adventures that our femme pirate hero Jack Sparrow(Johnny Depp) always was swept up in. Rob Marshall takes over, and he his own gift of reducing big Broadway theater productions(Annie
, Chicago
, Nine
) for the screen as a means of steadying the bloated Pirates ship. Chances are if you signed up for the first three flicks, you'll enjoy walking the plank with Sparrow at least one more time.There's a barebones plot at play this time that serves the story well. Picking up from the events of At World's End
, Jack is still obsessed with finding the mysterious Fountain of Youth, and without the distraction of silly love triangles(Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley jumped ship), he's able to devote what attention he can muster up to the task. That is when he's not rescuing his friends from the gallows, accosting frisky old dames(Judi Dench in a hilarious cameo), or avoiding capture by the King's soldiers. But since Jack does nothing without attracting attention, a number of forces have entered the race to reap the Fountain's revitalizing powers. The rarely seen Spanish armada leads the pack, but that's before Jack's nemesis Captain Barbossa(Geoffrey Rush) enters the quest as Commander of the King's fleet. Without a ship to call his own, Jack is forced to team up with an old lover/rival, Angelica(Penelope Cruz), traveling as first mate on the vessel of the dread pirate Blackbeard(Ian McShane), who may or may not be her father.The quest takes on a swashbuckling National Treasure vibe as a number of items must be acquired to activate the Fountain's powers. The most perilous mission has each crew needing to gain a single tear from a weeping mermaid. This leads them to dangerous cove where the beautiful sirens lure the men in with their haunting song. Reminiscient of the scene in The Coen Brothers' O'Brother Where Are Thou, it's easy to get captivated and forget that something terrible is likely to happen, but you can't turn away from it. Ok, except for the lady sitting in front of me who had her hands over her face. This is clearly the strongest piece in the entire film. If only there were more, then maybe On Stranger Tides would have distinguished itself from the others. The 3D addition fails to accomplish this goal. For the technology to mean anything, there must be a vibrant color palette and a wide range of vision. This is very dark and cramped film, with characters stuck in the jungle or in tight ship's quarters for long stretches of time. Just lose the 3D altogether next time or find a better use for it.
McShane is a perfect addition to the cast, and it's clear that he's having a ball as the ornery legend, getting a chance to bring some of that Al Swearengen Deadwood
swagger we haven't seen from him since the show ended a few years ago. Cruz is solid as well, but her chemistry with Depp is nonexistent. The script by Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott tries to dig up the old sparks that were prevalent between Depp and Knightley, but nothing quite connects. Geoffrey Rush, who has always been somewhat of a ham actor under the best of circumstances, is right at home chewing up the scenery as Barbossa. Rush never seems more at home than in a Pirates flick. Without Bloom and Knightley, the romantic sparks have to come from somewhere, and up 'n comers Sam Claflin and Astrid Berges-Frisbey sparkle as a missionary and mermaid who see their growing love tested. Depp's performance is of course beyond scrutiny. What would the complaint be? He's too over the top? Too garish? Too femme? Too...what? Is he phoning it in? How could you tell? He brings the same chaotic, bipolar energy he always has, although I think there was an effort to dial back Jack's outrageous personality just a tad. Maybe it's because he doesn't have his usual crew for the bulk of the film, or maybe it was an effort to position the new characters for all the Pirates flicks yet to come.
And don't for a second let yourself think there won't be more. There are already two in the planning stages, so if you haven't gotten sea sick yet there'll be plenty more voyages with Captain Jack to come. All of Bruckheimer's movies have a similar rhythm, a bouncy beat to them that makes them easily digestible but ultimately forgettable. Pirates of the Caribbean is no different. It's the flavored rice cake of the cinematic world, but one that fans will be eager to gobble up one more time.
Trav's Tip: You'll want to stick to your seats through the closing credits for a glimpse at what may be in store next for Jack Sparrow!
