(3.25 out of 4 stars)
Captain Jack is back. I apologize for the lateness of this review, I saw the movie last week but was unable to get to writing the review until now. I saw this movie on the IMAX screen in 3D and yes it was impressive to see it on the IMAX and in 3D but I must say though that if I were to see it again, which I might, I would probably not spend the extra money on IMAX and especially not on 3D. The 3D looks great, it wasn’t like they filmed it in 2D and converted it over to 3D afterwards (like they did for Clash of the Titans) but nothing really major stands out in 3D either.
Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) crosses paths with a woman from his past (Cruz), and he's not sure if it's love -- or if she's a ruthless con artist who's using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn't know who to fear more: Blackbeard or the woman from his past. Written by Walt Disney Pictures
I have to admit that I went in with average (at best) expectations for this movie. In my opinion, each movie has gotten worse with each release. Then you take away Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightly and let’s just say I wasn’t as excited to see this movie as much as I originally thought. With that said, the movie was much better and funnier than I thought it was going to be. Most of the people I’ve talked to liked the movie but I have talked to others that absolutely hated it and thought it was the worst of the 4 movies. I would put it as my 2nd favorite (maybe 3rd favorite).
You can tell that with Bloom and Knightly not in the movie they had to add more Capt. Jack to make up for the loss and Depp does the typical Jack again that we’ve known for years. I remember the first time he opened up his mouth in the first Pirates movie I was blown away. Each movie I got less and less enamored with his character. The honeymoon has been over since the 2nd movie. But Depp does a good job and has fun with the character. Ian McShane as Blackbeard steals the show and Cruz looks great and does a good job as his daughter.
I found the movie pretty funny actually and there was a lot of good fun action. It did lack some depth that other of the Pirate movies (particularly the first one) had. I would suggest that you don’t take little kids to this movie due to sexual references, specifically between Depp and Cruz. But even more so is the scene where they first come across the mermaids. Some intense scary parts for the little ones and they might not fare too well. I even jumped a few times in that scene. Also, with them being mermaids they don’t wear shirts and you just hope that their hair covers up what needs to be covered.
Some people say that there is going to be a sequel; the way it ends I can possibly see that but it wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t. But stay through the end credits for the 15 second clip that they show. I know it’s only around 15 seconds but it’s pretty funny and worth sitting through.
Rating of whether I would see the movie again:
1 = Definitely not!
2 = Probably not.
3 = Maybe.
4 = Probably.
5 = Absolutely!
Would I see the movie again in the theaters? 4
Will I rent it on DVD and watch it at home? 5
Would I buy the movie? 4
“Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides" is rated PG-13 and features sensuality, Some Frightening Images, Action Violence, Moderate Horror, Violence, Not Recommended for Young Children due to Frightening Scenes. Run time: 113 minutes
