Jack is back! His beloved Black Pearl missing, Jack finds himself running from the British, crossing swords with an old flame, and getting shanghaied by Blackbeard’s pirate crew. Their mission: locate the Fountain of Youth. To unlock the water’s immortal powers the crew needs a mermaid tear, two chalices belonging to Ponce De Leon, and a willing (or unwilling!) human sacrifice. Alliances are drawn, broken, re-drawn, and re-broken as pirates, British regulars and Spanish conquistadors all compete for eternal life. Captain Jack must face zombies, mermaids, and—deadliest of all—the return of a forgotten love.
Rob Marshall takes the helm as director, navigating his first foray into the action genre with aplomb. His talent is apparent as he directs a compelling story with a perfect pace. Renowned for his dramatic dance numbers, Marshall brings his Oscar-winning knowledge of choreography to the action, translating the energy and artistic flair of dance into fun, swashbuckling chase and adventure sequences. The scenes always captivate, each setpiece more elaborate than the last. The opening carriage chase through London’s streets is wonderful and fun. Then there’s the sword fight on the docks, the escape from the Spaniards’ camp, the battle for the Fountain of Youth, and (my favorite) the dangerous encounter with the mermaids. These aren’t your typical Disney little mermaids—they’re fierce, vicious and deadly, luring innocents with beauty, then slashing and devouring with razor-sharp fangs. Supernatural elements like Blackbeard’s zombie pirates, his “possessed” ship, and the legendary Fountain of Youth lend the film a fanciful, yet eerie and sinister, tone.
Despite the dark story, the dialogue and cast were light. Johnny Depp re-immerses himself in the role of the swaggering pirate. He is Jack Sparrow. Geoffrey Rush returns in a delightful performance as Captain Barbossa, pirate-turned-privateer. And we are introduced to the laid-back yet shockingly brutal Blackbeard (Ian McShane), and Angelica (Penelope Cruz), the sensuous and volatile love interest of Captain Jack.
The dialogue is fantastic. The characters’ interactions are superb, especially between Jack and Barbossa. The scene in the teetering ship boasts the best dialogue of the series. I was never sure where their comradeship stood: friends one second, enemies the next.
With Will and Elizabeth’s romance shelved, the story was able to focus more on Jack and Angelica, and on the love story between the missionary Philip and the mermaid Syrena. This romance develops when Syrena saves Philip’s life and notes that, unlike other humans, he seeks to save—not destroy—life. This subplot could have been great, but was tedious as neither Philip nor Syrena’s characters ever fully developed. But the romance between Jack and Angelica was perfect. Their nuanced banter, filled with sarcasm, bitterness, and barely perceptible fondness, added excellent comic relief.
The score disappointed. Instead of new themes and riffs, I heard a battery of recycled themes from the past three movies. Zimmer added a touch of Spanish guitar to embellish the themes, but it wasn’t at the level of creativity I’ve come to expect from my favorite composer.
The film’s protagonists have a modicum of morality, and themes of honor, duty, love and self-sacrifice are hinted at, but never realized. There was more sensual content than in the prequels; sexual banter flew fast and furious between Jack and Angelica, and some crude references were made. The mermaids appear nude, although their feminine figures are always obscured by voluptuous locks or scales.
While shorter than its predecessors, this film features outstanding performances, a compelling story, brilliant dialogue, beautiful sets and cinematography, cheeky romance, and extraordinary action. It looks and feels completely different from the first three; the characters are mostly new, and it is less a continuation and more like a franchise reboot. This is a solid piece of entertainment definitely worth a watch.
Haha, "a modicum of morality," indeed! I enjoyed it too, perhaps even more than the previous ones, and I agree that it felt much more like a reboot than a sequel. I liked how it seemed to focus on modest aims and less characters. It enhanced the joy of adventure instead of the gravity of drama in "At World's End." For once, pirates are happy to simply be pirates and not patriots of freedom. Did you catch the all too brief Gospel reference?
ReplyDeleteI noticed not one, but several positive references to God and the Gospel. I was definitely surprised by these statements and I wonder how much the average movie-goer picked up on them/responded to them.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, there were several! I especially liked the nonverbal but no less thoughtful part where Philip used his Bible to give Syrena some air. For a pirate movie, it definitely preached the Gospel in a surprisingly matter-of-fact way, which was a refreshing fountain of youth indeed!
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