Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (C or 2/4 stars)
Franchise alert: here be my review for the 4th Pirates of the Caribbean film, 'On Stranger Tides'. If I were to damn this movie with faint praise, it would be this: it's not as long, manic, or aggravatingly cluttered as the previous 2 installments. Thank God. The plot for 'OST' continues after the conclusion of the last film, At World's End. Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), accompanied by an old love, Angelica (Penelope Cruz), & her cantankerous pirate father, Blackbeard (Ian McShane), is in search of the Fountain of Youth. There are 2 other groups on the hunt for this fountain: a small band of Spaniards (who we meet in an early terra firma segment in Spain) & an English privateer captained by good 'ole Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). As with any journey/quest, several items must be collected along the way to their final destination (a map, 2 chalices, & a tear drop from the mysterious mermaids).
Several characters from the 1st 3 films pop up, including Barbossa, Jack's right-hand man, Gibbs (Kevin McNally), & Keith Richards. We even get a few new cameos from Richard Griffiths & Judi Dench (in an early London segment). I liked those cameos; but you have to wonder why they were even in here, at all. Missing from this film are Orlando Bloom's Will Turner & Keira Knightley's Elizabeth Swann. To that I say, 'fine'. Their stories were WELL exhausted from the previous installments (though, some may argue that Jack's charms are neutralized without them). Filling in the gap of romantic interest here is the addition of a missionary (Sam Claflin) & a mermaid named Syrena (Astrid Berges-Frisbey). Their storyline is sweet, but barely registers, overall. In any case, unexpected adventures, pirate shenanigans & double-crossings litter the plot; as they usually do. Can Jack trust Angelica as they close in on the Fountain of Youth?
'OST' is a middle-of-the-road summer blockbuster; boring & delightful in equal measure. There is no ingenuity in it. But neither is it incompetent; reminding me of last year's Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Though there is a curious lack of special effects, there are plenty of action sequences. Some of them are nifty, some are relentlessly underwhelming. I mentioned earlier how grateful I am that this film is not as long or cluttered as the previous 2 Pirate films. The script's effectiveness is two-fold, however. On one hand, I like the basic 'story'. But on the other hand, it lacks engagement because most of the dialogue/plot incidentals are half-cooked; coming solely from those action set pieces & not from anything off-the-cuff original. I know this is a Disney franchise, but the dialogue feels like written lines on a piece of paper that the actors are trying to convey cheekily; rather than giving organic 'performances'.
Johnny resurrects our favorite pirate, Jack Sparrow, with his usual panache. Love his banter. But the bit is getting old. I actually appreciated Geoffrey Rush's Barbossa more than ever, here. Ian McShane makes for a disappointingly tepid 'villain'. And while Penelope Cruz smolders, there isn't much heat btwn. her & Depp; which is what I hoped for. She's buxom (yay), but only adequate as Angelica. And as I mentioned, I enjoyed tiny splashes of cameos from Richard Griffiths & Judi Dench. But again, why only splashes? On the technical front, 'OST' is stellar (cinematography, art direction, costumes, sound, stunts, score). But it's all a step down in quality from the previous films (and Gore Verbinski's team). Remember the incredible and incredibly creepy hybrid human/sea creatures? None of that here. Though the title indicates stranger tides ... there needed to be more "strange" in the details. I DID enjoy a wicked mermaid battle sequence, though.
Oh, I just wish 'OST' aimed a little higher for the stars. I'm appreciative that director Rob Marshall made the plot unfettered & kept a myriad of insubstantial characters & mumbo-jumbo subplots out of the mix (aspects that nearly RUINED the previous films in this franchise). But there's also a lack of excitement, wonder & scope in various scenes. Still, I suspect that millions will cram into theaters to see this film, anyway. Their minds will glaze over, they'll get their adrenaline jolts, they'll smile at the familiar characters, & they'll leave the theater feeling 'okay' about what they saw. To me, there was an effort to hearken this film back to the original's fun attraction ride frivolity, rather than the 1st & 2nd overblown sequels. All that said, this movie is still dismayingly average.
Several characters from the 1st 3 films pop up, including Barbossa, Jack's right-hand man, Gibbs (Kevin McNally), & Keith Richards. We even get a few new cameos from Richard Griffiths & Judi Dench (in an early London segment). I liked those cameos; but you have to wonder why they were even in here, at all. Missing from this film are Orlando Bloom's Will Turner & Keira Knightley's Elizabeth Swann. To that I say, 'fine'. Their stories were WELL exhausted from the previous installments (though, some may argue that Jack's charms are neutralized without them). Filling in the gap of romantic interest here is the addition of a missionary (Sam Claflin) & a mermaid named Syrena (Astrid Berges-Frisbey). Their storyline is sweet, but barely registers, overall. In any case, unexpected adventures, pirate shenanigans & double-crossings litter the plot; as they usually do. Can Jack trust Angelica as they close in on the Fountain of Youth?
'OST' is a middle-of-the-road summer blockbuster; boring & delightful in equal measure. There is no ingenuity in it. But neither is it incompetent; reminding me of last year's Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Though there is a curious lack of special effects, there are plenty of action sequences. Some of them are nifty, some are relentlessly underwhelming. I mentioned earlier how grateful I am that this film is not as long or cluttered as the previous 2 Pirate films. The script's effectiveness is two-fold, however. On one hand, I like the basic 'story'. But on the other hand, it lacks engagement because most of the dialogue/plot incidentals are half-cooked; coming solely from those action set pieces & not from anything off-the-cuff original. I know this is a Disney franchise, but the dialogue feels like written lines on a piece of paper that the actors are trying to convey cheekily; rather than giving organic 'performances'.
Johnny resurrects our favorite pirate, Jack Sparrow, with his usual panache. Love his banter. But the bit is getting old. I actually appreciated Geoffrey Rush's Barbossa more than ever, here. Ian McShane makes for a disappointingly tepid 'villain'. And while Penelope Cruz smolders, there isn't much heat btwn. her & Depp; which is what I hoped for. She's buxom (yay), but only adequate as Angelica. And as I mentioned, I enjoyed tiny splashes of cameos from Richard Griffiths & Judi Dench. But again, why only splashes? On the technical front, 'OST' is stellar (cinematography, art direction, costumes, sound, stunts, score). But it's all a step down in quality from the previous films (and Gore Verbinski's team). Remember the incredible and incredibly creepy hybrid human/sea creatures? None of that here. Though the title indicates stranger tides ... there needed to be more "strange" in the details. I DID enjoy a wicked mermaid battle sequence, though.
Oh, I just wish 'OST' aimed a little higher for the stars. I'm appreciative that director Rob Marshall made the plot unfettered & kept a myriad of insubstantial characters & mumbo-jumbo subplots out of the mix (aspects that nearly RUINED the previous films in this franchise). But there's also a lack of excitement, wonder & scope in various scenes. Still, I suspect that millions will cram into theaters to see this film, anyway. Their minds will glaze over, they'll get their adrenaline jolts, they'll smile at the familiar characters, & they'll leave the theater feeling 'okay' about what they saw. To me, there was an effort to hearken this film back to the original's fun attraction ride frivolity, rather than the 1st & 2nd overblown sequels. All that said, this movie is still dismayingly average.