May 26, 2011 09:08 PM
1911 Views
I approached the new Pirates of the Caribban movie with anxiety due to the somewhat mixed feelings I had for At World's End and poor critical reviews for this latest part of the franchise. But I left the theater feeling rather uplifted at the end of it all, feeling that On Stranger Tides was an improvement over the third movie in the Pirates of the Caribbean series.
For starters, this new movie has a significantly shorter runtime. Clocking in at 2 hours 16 minutes, On Stranger Tides maintains just the right balance between being short enough to not have you look at your watch multiple times(like I did for the third one) and yet maintaining an epic feel of the movie. Further, the movie is enhanced by a considerably simpler plot where you can actually follow what is going on and not be left dazed by the double crossings and machinations dominant in both Dead Man's Chest and At World's End.
Johnny Depp is in top form as ever as Captain Jack Sparrow and brings all the wittiness and charm that we have associated with him in the previous installments of the series. Penelope Cruz strengthens the overall cast through her screen presence, acting chops and seductiveness and shares great chemistry with Depp, who has a lot more of a central presence this time around which enhances On Stranger Tides considerably. Also impressing is Geoffrey Rush who has the most interesting character development of the movie, as we see him in the employ of the British naval service this time round, but his motivations become more sinister as we progress further.
The movie's reported downsizing of budget means that we do not get to see the epic action and battles that we get to expect from a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, and although the visuals are eye-catching, we see a lot of darkness in many scenes(which would be made worse if one were to see this in 3D). Technically this movie is a bit of a letdown and one wonders what exactly was the point of the 3D(apart from financial greed). Also, after all that build-up and hype, Blackbeard(played by Ian McShane) turns out to be a bit of a downer as a villain. There is an unusual, yet poorly developed romance between a mermaid(Astrid Berges-Frisby) and a more subdued version of Will(Sam Clafin) but thankfully the director does not spend that much time on a potential speedbreaker to the plot. Yet the introduction to the mermaids is a major highlight of On Stranger Tides.
Apart from the quest for the Fountain of Youth, the film generally plods along without much of a story, and relies on its main characters to keep the audience entertained. The climax is rather predictable and borrows liberally from Indiana Jones movies, although the final scenes stay true to what made the franchise so popular in the first place, a touch of light-heartedness and fun.
Overall, the movie is a fairly entertaining ride as long as your expectations are lowered, although the absence of epic battles(what fights there are are recycled heavily from the previous movies in the series) as well as poor technical credits limit the movie's true potential. Hans Zimmer recycles music from many of his previous well-known works to produce an effective if predictable score.
For fans of Jack Sparrow, this will be a lot of fun, for others, On Stranger Tides might be a bit on the boring side.
Verdict: Watchable
Rating; 6.75/10
