Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” stars Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, Kevin McNally, and Geoffrey Rush.  Released on May 26, 2017, the film has Captain Jack Sparrow searching for the Trident of Poseidon in order to defeat his old enemy.

The film is directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, who also directed films such as Bandidas, Max Manus: Man of War, and Kon-Tiki.  It is the fifth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series.  While the Pirates sequels haven’t been receiving as much love as the original, they still manage to bring in a chunk load of box office booty, and this latest sequel is looking at continuing that streak.  As of now, I only saw three Pirates of the Caribbean films, which includes The Curse of the Black Pearl, At World’s End, and On Stranger Tides.  I managed to enjoy most of these films because of Johnny Depp’s portrayal as Captain Jack Sparrow and its sense of adventure and fun.  But will these things be enough to continue this pirate’s life?

The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is known for its share of bloodthirsty pirates, the supernatural, and curses.  This film is no different.  If you’re going into this film expecting an entertaining popcorn film, then I think you will be satisfied.  Johnny Depp once again reprised his role as the unluckiest pirate of the seven seas, Captain Jack Sparrow, as he teams up with the son of Will Turner (played by Thwaites) and an astronomer (Scodelario) to search for the Trident of Poseidon, a mystical item that can give its wielder total control of the seas.  Despite being a bit goofy at times, Depp did a great job with his performance as Sparrow.  In fact, there were two performances that I enjoyed the most: Depp as Sparrow and Javier Bardem as the film’s antagonist, Captain Salazar.  While not the best villain in the franchise, I would say that he’s the creepiest in terms of the character design and Bardem’s performance.  The visuals and the costume designs were once again very impressive, especially Salazar’s henchmen.  Even though they didn’t help make the film any better, they’re still amazing to look at.  Like the other installments, this film knows that it’s filled with intense situations, such as the ghost pirates, but it’s not afraid to add in a bit of fun into the mix.  There were times where the humor (including Sparrow) might annoy someone who doesn’t like the franchise’s comedic moments, but it didn’t come to the point where it destroyed the tone that the filmmakers were going for.  The only major flaw I had with the film is the story itself.  When you look at the marketing of the film, it says that it’s the “final adventure”.  The story doesn’t really scream “final adventure”.  It just plays out like a continuation of the franchise.  As a result, the film suffers from its weak plot elements and its inability to raise some stakes for the characters.  Even the third act was a bit forced, but that’s basically my problem.  If you don’t mind the flaws in the story, that’s fine.

Overall, “Dead Men Tell No Tales” is a solid installment in the swashbuckling franchise.  While the story has a few issues that won’t bring in any newcomers, it still has the right amount of booty to deliver an entertaining, yet unoriginal, pirate’s tale.  Like I said before, if you like the Pirates movies for what they are, then this will satisfy your needs.  If you’re a newcomer to the franchise, I would still recommend seeing the first installment, The Curse of the Black Pearl, before you watch the other ones.  Oh, and there’s also a bonus scene after the credits, so make sure you stay in you seats after the film’s done.

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