Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Review)

I’ve long been done with the Pirates of the Caribbean films, and for a while it seemed as if we would finally be rid of the series completely. It was at this point that Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer realized that they weren’t quite rich enough, and so a stand-alone fourth installment—directed by Chicago and Nine filmmaker Rob Marshall—began production. The result is superfluous and by-the-numbers, yet not all that bad. The single, straightforward narrative found here is certainly preferable to the overblown confusion that plagued Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End, though it still feels like little more than a thoughtless studio product. Albeit a decent one.

Johnny Depp returns as Jack Sparrow, of course, and this time he’s on a journey to reach the infamous Fountain of Youth. Of course, he’s not the only one on this journey. He spends most of the film in the custody of Blackbeard (Ian McShane), who is allegedly the most evil pirate in the history of the seven seas. Also aboard Blackbeard’s ship is Angelica (Penelope Cruz), an old flame of Sparrow’s. Meanwhile, our good friend Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) is on their tail with series veteran Kevin McNally as Gibbs. There are Spaniards as well, but they don’t really do anything until they’re needed.

On a very basic level, On Stranger Tides delivers exactly what audiences would like out of another Pirates of the Caribbean film. It isn’t nearly as strong as the first film, but it doesn’t really have to be. Those looking for a quick fix of swashbuckling action and Johnny Depp silliness will be more than satisfied. There could have been a lot more to it, but this is a case where mediocrity is almost welcome.

Let’s make it very clear that Rob Marshall is not the solution to all the series’ problems. Nor was Gore Verbinski the problem. On the contrary, it was his touch that made the original as much fun as it was. Only with the third film did the wheels start to come off the wagon. It’s a bit disturbing that On Stranger Tides seems to be advertising itself as the antidote to the apparently bad Verbinski films. While it is more streamlined, it is not indisputably better than Verbinski’s work. In fact, I’d struggle to say it’s better than the flawed-yet-not-so-bad Dead Man’s Chest. It is no more and no less than just another Pirates movie.

All of the Pirates films would be intolerable without Depp, and On Stranger Tides is no different. Sure, the performances are fine all around, but as always the film leans quite heavily on the zany antics of Jack Sparrow. The scenes of witty dialogue between Depp and Cruz provide the film’s best moments. On the other hand, many of the action scenes fall flat. They certainly aren’t inept, but most every chase and sword fighting scene felt remarkably dull. Any of the movie’s visual flair comes from the 3-D presentation, which is remarkably good. The biggest problem is that any time the film’s action takes place at night, it’s darn near impossible to see what’s going on. This is something I’ve noticed before in movies such as I Am Number Four, and I suspect it has something to do with the fact that everything is shot in digital now. Many filmmakers make this work (David Fincher), but for several othetrs it seems to be a problem.

Many may have forgotten that Depp’s first performance as Captain Jack Sparrow got him an Oscar nomination, and deservedly so. Eight years later, he is still the one holding up the franchise with his bare hands. Yet the not-inconsiderable accomplishment of On Stranger Tides is that it made me care about this series one more time—if only for two hours. It’s never great, but for mass audiences it will more than get the job done. Still, I’d be perfectly content if they finally laid this series to rest.

GRADE: B-