I had the pleasure of going to the theater tonight to watch Pirates of the Caribbean: Stranger Tides. I’ve been looking forward to the release of this movie since the first rumors of there being a possibility of a fourth movie about the loveable Captain Jack Sparrow. I am a huge fan of Johnny Depp, and may I emphasize huge fan, and Captain Jack Sparrow has been my all time favorite Depp character since the initial film in 2003, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.
However, while watching the latest film tonight, I couldn’t help but notice that I was finding it quite regrettable that the Depp’s previous co-stars Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom were not present in this film. I found that without them, the film lacked a sense of continuity and familiarity that was built upon in the last three films. As a film in a series, I was a bit disappointed whereas if the film where a standalone film, it would have been fantastic. This is not to say that I did not enjoy the film, indeed I found myself in a constant state of swooning, intermixed with fits of laughter.
The film begins with the beloved Captain Jack Sparrow posing as a judge in London to hear the pleadings of his former first mate, Gibbs, who has been arrested and accused of himself being Captain Jack Sparrow, charged with a list of crimes that only Sparrow himself could have committed. Gibbs talks to Sparrow about the rumors that Sparrow was in town recruiting new crew members, thusly Sparrow learns that there is someone in town impersonating him. When his plans to rescue Gibbs goes awry, Sparrow finds himself before the King who – seeing as how Gibbs somehow managed to relieve Sparrow of his map – charges him with acting as a guide on an expedition to The Fountain of Youth. It seems the Spanish have discovered its location, and the King simply will not stand for the Spanish getting there before his men do. The man to act as captain of this voyage turns out to be none other than Sparrows long-standing rival, Barbossa. Sparrow quickly learns that Barbossa has lost The Black Pearl, and in so doing he has also lost one of his legs. Since then, Barbossa has effectively changed sides, no longer a pirate and now a King’s man.
Sparrow manages one of his daring, acrobatic escapes for which he is well known only to find himself once again being held against his will and forced into acting as a guide to The Fountain of Youth. This time his captor is the lovely Angelica, who Sparrow found to be the impersonator. It is quickly revealed that Angelica and Sparrow have a romantic past, and the sexual tension between the two is readily apparent. Sparrow soon realizes that he is aboard Captain Blackbeard’s ship, and Angelica is in fact Blackbeard’s daughter. As they make their way towards The Fountain of Youth, they must make detours to gather two specific silver chalices and the tear of a mermaid in order to complete the ritual required to use The Fountain of Youth. These detours brings Sparrow and Barbossa face to face once more, forcing them to work together for a short time, in which Sparrow learns that it was Blackbeard that attacked The Black Pearl, and it was Blackbeard that caused Barbossa to loose his leg. Barbossa reveals that he could care less about The Fountain of Youth, and he could care less about the King, his real plan is to seek his revenge on Blackbeard. Quickly, Sparrow hatches a plan to help Barbossa to get his revenge and put an end to Blackbeard.
In the end it is by Barbossa’s poisoned blade that both Blackbeard and Angelica lie dying, being placed in a position to choose either his own life of the life of his daughter, Blackbeard selfishly chooses his own life. However, his selfishness is what Sparrow was counting on to save Angelica’s life, having lied to the two of them about which chalice would bring life and which would bring death. So Angelica’s life is saved, and Blackbeard’s is forfeited. Barbossa lays claim to Blackbeards magical sword and ship, and Sparrow takes off to a deserted island to leave the hot-headed Angelica behind. He gives her a gun with one bullet, and swiftly makes off in his row boat. He then meets up with Gibbs, who has managed to secure not only The Black Pearl, but a whole fleet of ships that had been magically put into bottles by Barbossa. The movie ends with the two men discussing how to free the ship from the bottle.
All in all, I would give this movie a 4 out of 5 stars and I definitely recommend it to others, as well as the prequels if they have not seen them.
