I'm surprised to see another Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I thought captain Jack Sparrow's adventures ended with a trilogy, but this new version called "On Stranger Tides" suggests a new cocktail mixed by your bartender who wants you to taste for free. I don't think this movie is on the house. But I have to say, this series is kind of fun because it's never taken itself too seriously. Even the last one, that pushed a ridiculous climax in a whirlpool between battling ships in the ocean, like the whole thing was being flushed down the toilet, saw pirates still throwing jokes between swordplay.
I think actors love to be pirates. It brings them back to their first encounters with imagination when they were kids dressing up like it's halloween and crossing cardboard or plastic swords. It's why these movies are so well cast. This one has managed to star the great Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane without losing Johnny Depp or Geoffrey Rush and other crew. It's the fourth movie and there's no burn-out.
The story is no different from the others. Sparrow is now looking for the Fountain of Youth which means everyone is following along across oceans, onto islands and into jungles to the same thumping score. Directed by Rob Marshall instead of the series regular Gore Verbinski, the change of guard doesn't make this film look any different. "It is not the destination, so much as the journey," Sparrow advises at one point in the trailer. Just like the ride at Disney World.
Opening May 20, 2011, Verdict: Wait for the Critics
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