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2011, 05-20:
Review of film: “PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN [4]: ON STRANGER TIDES”
Be Prepared for Ye “TIMBERS” to be “SHIVERED”!...
Disney’s “PIRATES” series of movies started in 2003, & has grossed around $ 2.6 billion in revenue for the 1st 3... They’ve now released the 4th in the series, with the sub-title “ON STRANGER TIDES” (“inspired” by a novel of that name by Tim Powers)...
... I’m going to try to relate the general “plot” of this new film, but, be cautioned-- it won’t make much “sense”:
... Captain Jack Sparrow (JOHNNY DEPP) has supposedly been “captured” & is on TRIAL in England... But, the man brought to the docket is NOT the real Captain Jack, it’s his ship’s Mate Joshamee Gibbs (KEVIN McNALLY)... Johnny is actually pretending to be the “JUDGE” in the proceedings...
... In short order, Johnny is “found-out”, and an extensive, energetic CHASE to catch him & Kevin begins thru the streets of London...
... We soon learn that Johnny’s being periodically “advised” by his father, Captain Teague (KEITH RICHARDS -- on whom Johnny has previously stated he’s “based” his character’s “demeanor”)...
... “Setting-up” Johnny for the trial has been peg-legged Barbarossa (GEOFFREY RUSH), who’s supposedly now working for the “Crown” in the form of King George II (RICHARD GRIFFITHS)...
... Geof is doing that as a means to try to get revenge on the man who caused him to lose command of his OWN ship (& thus activate the amputation of his leg), namely, the infamous pirate “Blackbeard” Teach (IAN McSHANE)-- who has various “MAGICAL” & Voodoo-like powers in the film (which helps keep his crew “in line”)...
... Ian’s daughter is supposedly Angelica (PENÉLOPE CRUZ), whom Johnny has “dealt” with (& been enamored of) previously...
... She & Ian, Geof & others are on a hunt to try to find Ponce de Leon’s fabled “FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH”, which a Spanish group headed by ÓSCAR JAENADA is also trying to locate...
... Johnny, preferring to not be killed, agrees to JOIN Penélope & others on the quest...
... Compounding the plot devices is the fact that, for the water of the Fountain of Youth to “work” at extending a life, it has to be mixed in a silver chalice along with a “tear” of a MERMAID...
... All this means that Johnny’s group needs to also find & capture a Mermaid, in the form of Syrena (ASTRID BERGES-FRISBEY)... Then, they (including a missionary “reverend” named Philip Swift, played by SAM CLAFLIN) have to find a way to get a TEAR from her for “future” use...
... All of these various plot “devices” are utilized as a means of having near non-stop “CHASE”-related scenes, as the groups seem to always be “questing” or “tracking” or trying to “BEAT” another...
... Will they be able to get what’s “wanted” from mermaid Astrid?... Who will find Ponce de Leon’s ship & get control of the CHALICES?...
... Who’ll get to the “FOUNTAIN” first? What are the real “GOALS” of the various captains?... Who will prove to be “deceptive” and / or out-&-out LYING in what they claim?...
... Who, if anyone, can be TRUSTED?... Will Johnny be able to “save his skin”, &, if so, HOW will he accomplish that?...
... Once again, there’s a “hidden” scene at the very end of the long CREDITS, which appears designed to set-up the next SEQUEL in the series...
... I found the plot devices way too “CONFUSING”... But, overall, that doesn’t really “MATTER” much: the film is basically designed to give Johnny an “excuse” to PRANCE around some more as “Captain Jack”, which he -- once again – does with great RELISH...
... The main characters are all set-up to be so purposely “extreme”, it may not “mean” much to say that those acting-out them are “EFFECTIVE”-- but they ARE that way...
... In my opinion, while the film has unusually fine SOUND work & many scenes are beautifully photographed (& with some impressive SPECIAL EFFECTS), its 3-D efforts are disappointing in that they’re usually NOT very “special” (even in the wonderful “IMAX” format I saw it in)...
... The movie’s set-up to be FUN-- & it SUCCEEDS at that (which is probably why the film has already drawn huge record-breaking world-wide grosses of $ 256+ million in its first weekend)...
... Since it puts a lot of smiles on your face (with its consistent HUMOR & dependable [even if outlandish] “ACTION” scenes), I’m rating it at 7.75 of 10 stars...
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