Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Coming from humble beginnings as just a theme park ride Pirates has grown into an international film sensation. Beginning with an outstanding first film and growing into a trilogy, the newest film in the series acted as a reboot and did just that. On Stranger Tides acts as a reboot to try and wipe the slate, dirtied by At World's End and Dead Man's Chest, clean.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides follows Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa, and Blackbeard, and their quest to find the fountain of youth. The acting is still there and so is the entertainment. Had the characters spent more time on screen together the movie would have been even better. Much of the film featured just the adventures of one character at a time and we don't get much interaction on screen. Johnny Depp continues to make his character Jack Sparrow as entertaining and clever as ever and that helped keep me from straying attention.

The writers and director made the correct choice by ridding the series of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. The storyline between the two of them thankfully ended in the third one. What really worked the best for On Stranger Tides was the fact that it was a standalone film, but can definitely lead to another trilogy. A few plot points are brought up from previous films like the map Jack had leading to the fountain of youth and his compass leading to what he wants most.

The action was still there and so was the entertaining dialogue, but ultimately what made this film work was still Jack Sparrow and Barbossa. Depp and Geoffrey Rush give great performances and Penélope Cruz and Ian McShane as Blackbeard feed off of those characters to give equal if not better performances. The chemistry between Depp and Cruz can be felt in the theater and is great when they are on screen together.

Though the movie still received a PG-13 rating it was a bit more family friendly than the pervious films. The innuendos used were more obscure and would be tough for small children to understand what is really being said. The action spent most of its' time in the cheesy/childish/slapstick/comedic realm with the exception of a few scenes, which were truly violent.

Overall, I think this installment of the Pirates franchise was a step up from the previous two films and could definitely lead to another trilogy. How I feel about that, at this point, I can't say until I see a preview or read up on future films, but I can say that if Johnny Depp keeps reprising his role as Captain Jack Sparrow and Geoffrey Rush comes back as Barbossa the films will still have my attention because the two best characters of the franchise will be back and working with and against each other. Worth seeing, but maybe wait until DVD.

7/10