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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