Johnny Depp is back as Captain Jack Sparrow in the fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series from Disney. Depp is famous for some of the more eccentric roles in movies, like Edward Scissorhands and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, not to mention the Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. He most recently did the voice of Rango, and played the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. Jack Sparrow is a thieving pirate with a an instinct for self-preservation.
Cast members from the first three Pirates movies include Depp, Geoffrey Rush as Hector Barbossa, the pirate captain, and Kevin McNally as the first mate Gibbs. Two of the other top stars of the first three Pirates movies, Orlando Blum and Keira Knightley, decided not to reprise their roles. Ian McShane, a very fine actor in my opinion, is the pirate Blackbeard, and Penelope Cruz plays his daughter, a woman from Jack Sparrow's past. Ian McShane played Coach in Death Race, and starred in The Seeker: The Dark is Rising. His acting in the HBO series, Deadwood, was almost Shakespearean. Penelope Cruz was in Vanilla Sky, about 10 years ago, her only movie in the sci-fi genre, that I know of.
The story begins with Jack Sparrow on trial in London, with a hanging in his very near future. Somehow, he has Gibbs standing in his place, and Jack has arranged an escape by impersonating the judge in the case. After leaving the courtroom, they are escorted into a prisoner wagon, where they hope to be released by the driver who has been paid off. Instead, they are recaptured by the British, and taken to the king. Jack makes another daring escape, and ends up in a tavern where he meets Angelica, who is impersonating him and hiring on a crew of sailors. Again, the soldiers catch up to them, and they escape, but Jack is knocked out and wakes up as a sailor on the ship of Blackbeard the Pirate.
Apparently, Blackbeard, the British Crown, and the Spanish, are all on the track of the legendary Fountain of Youth. Jack foments a mutiny, and learns the hard way about Blackbeard, and why he is so reared as a pirate. He manages to survive and makes a fast deal to save himself, by promising to help Angelica and Blackbeard find the Fountain. Meanwhile, Barbossa has signed on with the British Navy and with Gibbs as his guide, they try to get to the fountain first, where Barbossa plans to get his revenge on Blackbeard for his taking of the Black Pearl, Jack Sparrow's pirate ship from the earlier stories.
There is lots of action, with plenty in between to allow the story to develop. The camera angle changes are pretty frequent, although not as bad as some movies I have seen. One problem with action movies is the tendency to overuse different camera angles trying to capture every movement, and at the same time leaving important parts of the action off the edge of the screen. It seems to be true of all action movies these days. I guess I have to be satisfied if they don't do it too much, and this Pirates movie is not too bad in this respect.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is good and long, 2 hours and almost 20 minutes and uses every minute to good effect. The story is fairly complex and entertaining. It manages to be interesting, with a few twists and turns, but without any real surprises. It resolves well towards the end, with another sequel an obvious possibility. There are lots of sword fights and musket shots, but surprisingly few people are killed. They parry and thrust, blades clanging, and then bonk their adversaries on the head. I can't remember a single time where the pirate jack Sparrow actually kills someone. This is good for the children who want to be Jack Sparrow next Halloween.
I recommend this movie for good entertainment, safe for most younger viewers. There isn't too much in the way of romance, but that isn't a big drawback. The whole package makes for a nice evening at the movies. It gets 4.5 Shurikens for lots of good action, some excellent characterizations, and a good storyline. If you haven't been to the movies in a while, this is a good reason to go.
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