Although Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, the fifth installment of the popular franchise, rights some of the wrongs in At World’s End it still has too many drunk uncle at the family reunion moments that would have been better spent on the fresh faces bringing it back to life. The film’s fixture Captain Jack Sparrow is amusing at first but ultimately a slurring and embarrassing mess telling the same jokes over and over.
Light spoilers ahead
The Pros:
- The cursed, underwater dead beings who want nothing more but to enact their revenge on the man responsible for dooming them to a watery grave. Their flowing, dismembered bodies are only matched by Captain Salazar’s (Javier Bardem) delivery.
- The flashback sequences that provide more insight to not only Captain Jack (Johnny Depp), and how he came to be called ‘Sparrow’, but new character Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) who is the son of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley).
- The return of Captain Barbossa. Without spoiling his presence completely, it’s good to see the old gang back for another ride.
- The computer animation. The underwater scenes are realistic enough to make you wonder what exactly IS happening under the sea? And where are the fish?
The Cons:
- Captain Jack’s tired jokes and general lack of sobriety got old fast. We got it, he’s a pirate and a funny one. But after three to ten scurvy related jokes, another schtick or a shorter route to redemption would have been nice.
- Lack of flashback sequence for Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario). Her spunky, “hear me roar” character, a sort of Elizabeth 2.0, was refreshing and gives hope for the future. Maybe in the next installment.
- How great an action scene looks but could never ever happen in real life. The underwater parts of the story are believable in the fact that it is meant to be unbelievable. The parts there supposed to be believable just aren’t.
All in all, a fun ride for the family. The kids will enjoy it and for the most part it is funny.
BSO Grade: B-