Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
2011

Director: Rob Marshall
Cast: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane, Kevin R. McNally, Geoffrey Rush, Richard Griffiths, Greg Ellis, Damian O'Hare, Sam Claflin, Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, Stephen Graham

Ever since the The Curse of the Black Pearl, Disney's mindboggingly successful franchise has been one percent inspiration and ninety nine percent desperation. Now it starts afresh with a new director at the helm. However, this new leaf looks awfully lot like the old one. The shipless and crewless Jack Sparrow is forced to team up with Captain Blackbeard, who has occasional magical powers, and his daughter Angelica, who is Jack's old flame. They enter a race against the English, the Spanish and time to discover the fountain of youth. The fourth movie is less dependent on CGI than the previous two, and thankfully about 30 minutes shorter than the interminable At World's End, but it still feels long. The main problem once again is the characterisation, or lack thereof. Nobody trusts nobody, so the plot is comprised of a series of predictable and long-winded double-crossings, and I couldn't care less who comes on top. Add to this Rob Marshall's flat action set pieces (the mermaid attack is just about the only memorable scene), and what you have is an extremely dull action-adventure blockbuster. The Blackbeard part of the story is loosely based on the novel On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers. Followed by Dead Men Tell No Tales.