‘Pirates’ Floats But Doesn’t Sail

Fourth time would be the charm if Disney Studios was aiming for mediocrity in the next episode of Captain Jack Sparrow's journey.

In the most recent installment of the "Pirates" saga – I guess we're able to call it that now – Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is on a race against both the Spanish and British for the legendary Fountain of Youth, believed to be in present-day Florida.

Throughout his search, Depp reunites with former ally/enemy Barbosa (Geoffrey Rush) and former lover Angelica (Penelope Cruz). A new character brought in was the dreaded bad guy Blackbeard (Ian McShane).

Also back for this film is Sparrow's loyal first mate Mr. Gibbs (Kevin McNally).

Despite the fact Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly are missing from this movie, they aren't missed at all by viewers. Chances are they'd make things more complicated than Sparrow's recent predicament, if they were present.

As always, Depp delivers another great performance as the crazy son-of-Keith Richards-pirate (who does make a small appearance in the film). Audience members will enjoy a good laugh from Sparrow.

It's great to see Barbosa return for another "Pirates" film. The character of Barbosa is personally one of my favorite villains in cinema, and Rush gives his second-best portrayal of him – next to his role in "The Black Pearl."

Like the previous marine-science-fiction films that make up the saga, audience members are introduced to some new creatures as well as see some old friends, some examples are the cannibalistic mermaids and that darn monkey who never dies.

However, the most notable creatures are zombie-pirates – yes, zombie pirates – this bizarre combination of characters doesn't play a significant role, they're just handymen on Blackbeard's ship.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Times" leaves audience members with too many questions, such as, how does Blackbeard gain zombie pirates and place the ships in the bottles?

One thing the movie does do well is sell tickets. It has already made almost $400 million in ticket sales in the first weekend.

"Stranger Tides" sets up a three-teamed race for the fountain – Pirates versus the British versus the Spaniards – each stopping at nothing to win. However, the movie itself presents both of the governments in a darker light compared to the Pirates, leaving the audience rooting for the anarchistic sea lovers.

This film is also probably the darkest "Pirates" yet. A lot of low key lighting, nighttime scenes and the high use of skulls and skeletons definitely shows this saga is steering away from the children demographic and more toward a young-adult and adult crowd.

Aside from consistently stellar performances from Rush and Depp, one thing that continues to escalate is the degree of how Sparrow escapes from the most unlikely of scenarios. One of the scenes shows Sparrow dodging Buckingham Palace guards and an army of highly trained Spaniards – both apparently don't know how to use their guns.

The movie sets itself up for another sequel. Spoiler alert: if the actual ending itself doesn't spell five, then stay for after the credits and expect to see Cruz again.

"Stranger Tides" is a step up from the third feature in this series; however, it doesn't live up to the greatness of its first precedent.

The standing ovation went on and on...the actors had to come back for several curtain calls.

IndependentCollegian.com