Ileana’s Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Summary: The lovable Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) returns for a new adventure in the fourth installment of the Pirates franchise. Our rummy hero is on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth. Unfortunately for him, it seems everyone else in the world is on the same journey. Jack has to compete against the Spaniards, the British led by Captain Barbossa (Rush), and worst of all, the dreaded pirate Blackbeard (McShane). To complicate matters further there’s Angelica (Cruz), Jack’s former flame who also happens to be Blackbeard’s long-lost daughter. Throw in some zombie pirates and deadly mermaids and you’ve got yourself one hell of an adventure.

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Of all the Pirate sequels this one is definitely the best. While it’s loads better than the second and third movies, it still lacks the magic of the first. The two main problems with the second and third movies were that they had very complex storylines and too much CGI. With this film they eliminated the majority of the supporting cast from the first three films, which allowed for a simpler storyline and they cut back heavily on the CGI work. Personally I think they cut back too much and that’s why this movie isn’t as good as the first one.

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The best thing about this film however, was Ian McShane as Blackbeard. McShane is so good at portraying evil, ruthless villains and Blackbeard is no exception. I was worried that the PG-13 rating would mean the character would be toned down, but he was just as evil as always. He is the one pirate all other pirates fear.

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Trivia: Johnny Depp bought new water-proof jackets for the 500 crew members on the set to protect them from the cold weather. He spent a total of $64,200 from his own pocket.

Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of action/adventure violence, some frightening images, sensuality, and innuendo.

Grade: B

Did you see Pirates this weekend? What did you think of it? Tell us in the comments section below - AND check out our photo gallery from the premiere at Parkwood 18.