Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) Review

My Rating: 66%

Directed by: Rob Marshall:

Produced by: Jerry Bruckheimer

Written by: Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio

Starring: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian Mcshane and Geoffrey Rush

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Runtime: 138 Minutes-shorter than the last two.

It is definitely the worst of the lot, but a fresh start. Unlike the previous two the budget is lower, so the visuals are okay in this one so not much fancy stuff going on here. If you have seen my reviews of all the Pirates films, you will notice how the order of rating goes down each time, but that’s how I feel about them. The budget is half of At World’s end at $150 million, so it’s nice to know it isn’t going to be a big CGI adventure. The story is more simple, and is a race to the fountain of youth which is what was great about this film, but what’s this? Where’s Gore Verbinski in the director’s chair? Director Rob Marshall takes Verbinski’s place, which was a bit of a mistake because the direction was pretty bad. Once again Jack is on another adventure, this time for the fountain of youth and once again Captain Barbossa appears in the film. Stars Ian Mcshane and Penelope Cruz are also featured in this as Blackbeard and his daughter, Angelica.

Plot:

Taking place somewhat time after At World’s End the previous crew of the films that we all knew and remembered the films for on some degree, are now gone. Although they kept Jack, Barbossa and Mr. Gibbs in the film, it’s just not as interesting anymore. Well our film begins with Jack being put on trial at London, which we soon discover is actually Mr. Gibbs. However, a mysterious Judge - Sparrow in disguise - sentences Gibbs to life in prison and transfers Gibbs to jail under minimum security. During their well co-ordinated and exciting escape, having apparently given up on finding the Fountain, Sparrow reveals he came due to an imposter before he and Gibbs are arrested by crown forces. Pretty soon they end up on the vessel of Blackbeard himself and it’s a race to get to the fountain of youth.

Jack during his escape in London.

The Next Villain:

To be honest, I didn’t feel this guy had much personality. As a villain he didn’t have much of a dramatic entry like that of Davy Jones, and he just overall isn’t scary or intimidating, despite his giant sword. Blackbeard also has a daughter, whom Jack attempts to reveal as NOT the daughter of him. Blackbeard doesn’t really do that much to set the score he is a villain so he is a failed character to the story, which is a shame seeing he is close to the centre of the plot.

Ian Mcshane as 'Blackbeard'.

Was a Spin-off necessary?

I just want to know why big money maker Jerry Bruckheimer (Producer of the series) decided that a spin-off was possible. Never mind money making, think of the story itself. It’s the point of filmmaking at an artistic value, not just because it’s going to rake money in. But forget about that side of the argument, the film just isn’t close to as exciting as the rest. I also wouldn’t consider it a total spin-off because the third film does leave us with talk of the fountain of youth, but the writers Ted Rossio and Ted Elliot decided it was going to be the end of the trilogy. It’s annoying that you can’t call it an exciting trilogy anymore. It would be if someone made a Back to the future 4, you just wouldn’t want it!

New Director, new plan:

The director wanted to try and make this one feel more like the first one, which it does in some way because of how new characters are introduced to the story as if the previous characters never existed. The new director will alter the rest of the films, giving the narration and direction a different touch. I felt the direction definitely could have been improved, but the story was okay.

Just when you thought it was over:

Now this has come to a shock to me. Apparently the writers have begun to write the screenplay for the fifth and sixth films, so it will be the second trilogy and will make The Pirates of the Caribbean a saga! For better, for worse it’s a stupid idea. Just leave the great characters as they are and stop trying to go deeper and deeper into the story because you had success with the story at the beginning! Disney plan to film them back-to-back just like the second and third films, so it looks like the world will never rid of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. It’s nice that actors Johnny Depp and such get to play their characters again, because Depp said he wanted to act as Jack again. But for the audience it isn’t all that exciting. Regardless I’m keeping things like this away from affecting the rating of this film. I love Jack as a character and it’s great seeing him get out of situations, but this one character doesn’t save the entire film.

Overall:

It may be the start of a new trilogy, but the film is just ‘okay’ because of its attempt to be like the first film, even though it doesn’t do a particularly good job at it. If there happens to be these films I would like to see some of the original characters back. This film has bad direction, recycled acting (in that of Barbossa and Jack), but has a nice clean start with a fairly entertaining and SIMPLE goal. This time it’s just a one on one race (which soon becomes a three-way race because of the Spanish) so this one isn’t that complex plot we know the story for. Hans Zimmer is also back to do the music, which definitely boosts the score for this film because his great music gives lots of edge to the action scenes.  Some of the characters are dull; the CGI is very low, excluding the very exciting mermaids and could have been better. Regardless the story was simple, interesting and had some pretty nice action going on. It’s overall an okay film but definitely weak in narration. It may very well be the start of as new series, so hold onto your hats because who knows how long this will go for. Hopefully the series gets a little better.

Ratings:

Story: 70%

Characters: 63%- Nothing new really other than Blackbeard and Angelica.

Emotion: 57%- Despite the love story tied in, no emotion was really made.

Visual: 67%

Music: 75%- not his best work but still great.

Overall: 66%- I think it’s a fair grade.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) Review

My Rating: 73%

Directed by: Gore Verbinski

Written by: Ted Elliot an Todd Rossio

Produced by: Jerry Bruckheimer

Starring: [you know who]

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Drama, Comedy in some parts

Runtime: 165 Minutes 

The third instalment to the series, and the end of the huge plot that followed it from the second film, Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End has one of the most convoluted plots around, but I loved it. Number three takes us on yet another voyage, and ends with a climactic scene which is unforgettable. Full of mind blowing CGI, more characters than ever, and also full of action packed sword duelling, the film leaves the first three films nicely with how it ends. It may not the best of the series, but it certainly doesn’t fail to please. Another interesting thing was how the film left a trademark of putting in sounds from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride as a transition to seeing Jack in Davy Jones locker. A nice homage to the wonderful ride. 

Cast and Characters:

In my first review I commented on all the characters, now let’s start over because the characters make huge developments.

Jack Sparrow: There really anything changed about him and he is still that always tipsy on rum sailor we know him for. Some people I am sure now tire of his attitude, but he’s a pirate so what can you expect? Depp still delivers a nice performance along with the supporting cast.

Will Turner: All of a sudden, Will is more dramatic than ever. With his voyage to save his father he soon turns away from the love of Elizabeth Swan (but it soon returns).

Will and Elizabeth during the battle on  the Flying Dutchman.

Elizabeth Swan: She has become a bit of a pirate herself in this one. Fully trained with a sword and steering towards the end becomes the captain of the Singapore crew. The romance is still in the air but fades in and out of the film.

Davy Jones: The dramatic love story in unfolded in this film which I thought was good and it added personality to the character. Bill Nighty also delivers again with a great performance.

Complexity of war:

During the final scene we have the standoff. A three on three battle consisting of Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth Swan, Barbossa V.S Davy Jones, Will turner and James Norrington. The confusing thing is, no one trusts anyone it seems and taking sides seems to be ludicrously unclear. One minute Barbossa hates Jack, next minute he need him, so there is a lot of swapping in the plot. It gives it edge though.

The Negotiation.

An Expensive Scene:

There are very few scenes that would compare to the budget of this colossal one. The amount of detail and effort put into this scene is astounding. Some will say it’s overdone but it really gives the story impact and realism. Here we have out two ships, The Black Pearl and The Flying Dutchman shooting at each other, while there is a gigantic whirlpool pulling them in. The scene is such a great cliff-hanger putting you on edge yourself and a lot is going on. Luckily there are bits of comic relief to calm down the drama. It was a very powerful scene that can be easily said ‘it was overdone’, but it was a very climatic scene.

The best image I could get showing the scene.

The Walk into Oblivion:

James Norrington finds himself having no way out of death as The Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman ready to fire from both sides of the ship. The crew await orders, but he says nothing. The cannons begin to fire as the ship is torn apart and James just walks down the steps meanwhile the chaos is happening. The scene is in slow motion and looks absolutely great. The fact that he walks so stern into the pieces of wood flying in the air and explosions surrounding him was very powerful, so for me it was one of the most memorable scenes in the film.

Its the best image I could find.

Father and Son [Spoiler]:

I love how the film ended with Will being reunited with his father. The only reason he went on the voyage was to rescue him. So now Will is captain of The Flying Dutchman, taking Davy Jones side. In a way it was an act of desperation as Will was stabbed by Davy ones as Jack Sparrow held his heart. Will’s father, ‘Bootstrap’ is outraged and begins to attack Davy Jones meanwhile; Wills tabs the heart to take his place. It was an interesting ending and very climatic.

The hint of a sequel:

The film ends with the mentioning of ‘The fountain of youth’ and leaves with Jack on the boat on another journey it seems. So writers Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio haven’t ran out of steam, but it would be four years before On Stranger tides would be released. [Reviewing that one next] It’s nice to see our characters all in action again, but thank goodness they were doing it right.

Overview:

At World’s End leaves us of the story involving Davy Jones, Singapore and other characters that have significance in the plot. The story offers lots of new characters to the story which was great, but it does get boring after a while. The Pirates of the Caribbean doesn’t really have a main character. Supposedly Jack Sparrow is our character, which he is, but it doesn’t seem that way in this film. There is so much else going on. However, the first quest is to save Jack, so I guess that can be main protagonist for you. Once again the brilliant soundtrack was back which brought lots of life to the action scenes. Overall as the end of the trilogy, excluding On Stranger Tides being almost like a new story, At World’s End boasts in breath-taking visual effects, a very involved plot and enough to keep you entertained throughout.

Ratings:

Story: 72%

Characters: 70%

Emotion: 73%

Visual: 89% - The most impressive of the Pirate series.

Music: 74%

Overall: 73% [Not based on an average]

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) Review

My Rating: 81%

Directed by: Gore Verbinski

Screenplay by: Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot

Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Stellan Skarksgard, Keira Knightly
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Drama,
Runtime: 145 Minutes 

Not as good as the original, but Dead Man’s Chest offers plenty of great action and a mind boggling plot line. That was the downside really this time. Jack Sparrow used to be our main character, but going towards the end he kind of fades out of the spotlight. There are too many characters going on and the plot is very convoluted. The film is rated 12A but I don’t know any 12 year-olds who could follow the story. Regardless, I could keep up and the story was very enjoyable, had amazing action and a very unique and fresh villain. Depp, Knightly and Bloom are back once more to give great performances in this excellent voyage.

Jack Sparrow as the leader of the tribe.

Plot:

Our film begins with an interrupted wedding of Will and Elizabeth and we see some character change in Will and Elizabeth, and Port Royal has changed quite a bit too. Elizabeth and Will have a warrant for arrest for helping Jack Sparrow to escape and the penalty being death. Elizabeth is in prison until Will can get Jack Sparrow’s compass, which the notorious ex-commodore James Norrington takes in interest to, as the compass points to what a person most desires. So Will Turner goes on a hunt to find Jack, meanwhile he is on the search for a key, a key to the chest of Davy Jones (will not spoil what is in it if you aren’t familiar). When Will finally gets to Jack we see how a strange tribe worship him and they are soon going to 'sacrifice' him. From there onwards It goes wild. Davy Jones wants the key back from Jack, Will wants to save his father from the ship of Davy Jones, Will wants marry Elizabeth, there is so much going on escapism is at a mighty height for attention here.

Jack running for his life from the tribe.

More terrific writing and directing:

Once again, the masterful screenplay writers of convolutedness, Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio make a terrific screenplay. Complex as it be, it’s a very impressive story, and is definitely one of the most exciting around. The fact that the back story of Jack gets unravelled as the film goes on is fantastic. I can see a prequel happening sometime soon. I enjoyed the character Davy Jones because of how strangely terrifying in a sense he was. Let’s not forget the very fishy CGI on him too. There writers must have had a hard time trying to get the plot together, but it came out great and thumbs up to them once again. Director Gore Verbinski must have had a hard time directing this, and he did an okay job at taking this complex story and getting into order. Thumbs up to him also.

Davy Jones playing his organ.

Characters:

Since our last voyage our characters have changed. Will turner and Elizabeth Swann initially to get marries, but don’t because of the hold up of events. Jack is his usual selfish self-gaining pirate as always, getting his way around everything he faces in some way. Well we still have plenty of our previous crew such as those two foolish pirates. You know the one with the fake eye and his plump friend. Some new faces to the film our Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) and Bootstrap Bill Turner (Stellan Skarksgard), also father of Will turner. Since the beginning of the first film, you will notice so much difference in the characters. This one certainly had more emotion and even Jack Sparrow had more added on to him.

Another character to note is the completely wild an bizarre Calypso. Played by Naiomie Harris, Calypso is a very bizarre character, who will be unravelled more in the next film. 

Calypso in her weird hut.

Some of the finest Visual Effects:

I must admit I am very impressed with how visually impressive this film is, especially on the Flying Dutchman and Davy Jones. Some very fine CGI is in this film and the Flying Dutchman is very impressive because of how fresh (if I can say so about a fishy ship) the style is. With a budget of $220 million it’s they to see how they can pull it off. They really put a lot into the style of this film and it touches with the greatness of the overall film.

Hans Zimmer Returns!

Hans Zimmer is back again doing the soundtrack the film and gave it an excellent touch once more! The music really gives all the scenes that extra touch of emotion and action. All of the Pirates films have great soundtracks and Hans Zimmer just gives it that touch of vibrancy and greatness.

Towards the end of the film:

For those who haven’t seen the film don’t read (Spoiler). At the end of the film when The Black Pearl is being attacked by the Kraken, Jack gets ties onto the boat. He escapes but not in time as he hurdles into the mouth of the Kraken. The fact that we don’t get the explanation for another year is outrageous, because it put everyone on hold. It’s a good thing the third came out on year later. I think it was the sort of thing that gave it the overall critics’ bad reviews at RT, but as annoying as it was, it was a nice try to suspense the audience to wait to find out what happened. I’m sure most people probably assumed he wouldn’t die anyway. It’s Jack Sparrow after all.

jack Sparrow facing the Kraken.

Overall:

Although, this film really doesn’t offer much for anyone that isn’t a pirate fan or at least has seen the previous film. In fact it is barely even a film because of its cliff-hanger ending. It’s more of a ‘to be continued’ thing. As the in-between film I still think it’s enjoyable and the average rating is ridiculous for this on RT. How can such great writing and characters be given such low ratings? Although this is nothing compared to the original, it is still an exciting journey with lot to offer.

Ratings:
Story: 81%
Characters: 82%
Emotion: 80%
Visual: 90%
Music: 82% 

Overall: 81%