Thursday, June 1, 2017

The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES



The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic: 
on PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES (2017, 129 minutes, PG-13)


The Quick of It -
I love Disney.  Not for their theme parks… for their deep pockets.  They will greenlight and support projects that most studios would never entertain in a boardroom.  PIRATES has been a struggle after their 2nd release, for a number of reasons… most for the wrong ones.  That was a trend movie-goers embraced and was supported by the critics… that the story has been played out.  But not for me.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this amazing ‘ride’.  Yes, there are some weak points and some unpopular decisions.  But I was never a fan of the Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan (Bloom – Knightley) as a continued love interest, they were just not that convincing after the BLACK PEARL.  So I could care less that they did not continue to reprise their roles in the fourth film.  Don’t get me wrong, they contributed to the subsequent stories after the PEARL but I never felt an underlying connection between the two characters that made me feel interested in their future together.


Thus creates the first slight struggle for me with DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES.  The cornerstone plot point is the incidental love interest growing between Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites of GODS OF EGYPT, OCULUS, AND MALEFICENT), son of Will and Elizabeth, and Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario of the MAZE RUNNER series and MOON).  This is too close a reflection of the original, seeming to give a try at regaining the magic of the series that everyone was screaming for.  In this quest-driven film, Henry has discovered a way to end all the curses that plague the seas, to include the one keeping his father trapped on the Flying Dutchman, by finding the Trident of Poseidon. 


And enters the convoluted plot.  This creates a domino effect of pirate captain introductions.  Henry believes the compass carried by Captain Jack Sparrow will lead him to the Trident.  He unfortunately sails right into our first antagonist, Captain Salazar.  Salazar realizes Henry is looking for Jack and wants Henry to carry his message of promise of death to Jack. 


The addition of Captain Salazar, played by one of the most charismatic actors of our time – Javier Bardem, brings Captain Jack Sparrow (THE Johnny Depp) into the picture.  He wants to kill Jack for his imprisonment in the Devil’s Triangle… and every other pirate of the sea that gets in his way.  Which then means Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who has built a pirate fleet and learns of this, is under threat of losing everything.  Then Jack finds out his only way to stop Salazar is to also find the Trident.  So, yeah... everyone wants the damn Trident.  But, this doesn’t make a total mess of things, just makes too many moving parts to really give good traction to develop a strong storyline. 


So, why must you risk the traitorous seas on this fifth installment?  The comedy, the visuals, and the need to fill that ‘pirate’ void in your life.  Captain Jack doesn’t steal the show any more than the other alpha personalities but Depp sells you on all the physical comedy you want.  He must have some Chaplin blood in his veins, there is no doubt.  The cinematography was of the highest caliber.  You expect no less from Paul Cameron.  If you ever saw COLLATER or TOTAL RECALL, you understand.  Also, this is not a bad outing for the Norwegian director-duo Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, as unpracticed at the big screen as they are.  The final results make for an entertaining addition to the PIRATE’s series.
 
Oh… and thanks to those deep pockets, there is talk of a sixth film in the works. 

Grade: B

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