Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Question: Do we really need another Pirates movie?
Answer: Not really, but the studio knows that it will generate a lot of money, so why don't we make another movie. Its doing great!

Pirates ended At world's End. Although they have given an opening that there will be a possibility of making a 4th movie, i believe the franchise reached its end on the part where Will and Elizabeth bid goodbye. But ALAS! Here we have On Stranger Tides.

When Curse of the Black Pearl came out sometime in 2003, it was a breather. It was a fresh material and what makes it so successful is the witty combination of fantasy, comedy, action and romance in a very fast paced movie. When Dead Man's Chest came out, it showcased a very impressive special effects but somehow made a web of plots that is difficult to follow and then At World's End came in and everything was just blurry with all those story lines.

On Stranger Tides is a film that introduces us to what I assume as another Trilogy. We were introduced to new characters but with a simpler story. They are to find the Fountain of Youth. 3 teams are looking for it and Jack Sparrow is part of 2 teams. Jack is joined by Angelica (Penelope Cruz) and Blackbeard (Ian McShane) in the search for the Fountain. All they needed is a pair of Chalices and one drop of Mermaid's tear. How hard is that?

One of the weakness of the film is that it loses the magic of the sword fights that the previous 3 movies had. Its more like a clinking and clattering of metalic junks and somehow I am not amazed with the sword fights. The movie tries to mystify the audience but somehow lacks some spices.  I admire the simplicity of the plot and consistency of Johnny Depp's character. Jack Sparrow works well with Barbossa comically.

Even without Kiera Knightly and Orlando Bloom, Pirates can stand on its own. Jack Sparrow becomes the new Bond. I bet, this will continue up to Pirates 6.

GRADE: B+