Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) Movie Review

Synopsis:

Pirate Jack Sparrow encounters a woman from his past, Angelica (Penélope Cruz). He’s unsure of Anglelica’s true intentions, suspecting her of using him to find the mythical Fountain of Youth. Along the way, Jack encounters the merciless pirate, Edward “Blackbeard” Teach (Ian McShane).

Review:

As with any long-running franchise, On Stranger Tides proves that some adventures need to end.

This is due to its less accomplished visual style, action sequences, and character additions.

What’s also apparent from the start of this film is a less distinct personality. Much of this is apparent from the film’s dull opening.

It fails to leave much of an impression, which may have been because of its poor lighting.

Once viewers are past this opening scene, they’re reintroduced to Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow.

Depp appears to be going through the motions here, stumbling into an action setpiece.

It’s here when he escapes from the Royal Marines. This then leads into a carriage chase across London’s streets.

This is a lighthearted sequence that moves at a brisk pace, thanks to Johnny’s exaggerated movements. Aside from some decent stuntwork, it has its problems.

For one, the scene is made to make the Royal Marines seem incompetent. There’s one point where Jack runs behind one of them. As a result, he fails to notice until the last second.

Another instance is where Jack is standing aboard a moving carriage. Instead of shooting a very obvious open target with their muskets, the Marines run behind instead.

It breaks immersion, with Jack being offered very little resistance to prevent his escape. This film’s action overall, despite having decent framing, has basic choreography.

Take the film’s climactic clash between Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and Blackbeard’s forces as an example. Though the sequence is well-shot, its swordplay lacks creativity and impact.

One plus point of this scene is Hans Zimmer’s score. It offers the correct amount of intensity to make the scene watchable.

Across the board, Zimmer delivers a varied and energetic soundtrack. Joining him is the Mexican acoustic guitar duo, Rodrigo y Gabriela.

They bring more uniqueness, using their guitar string work in tracks such as “Angelica” and “Palm Tree Escape.”

One of Zimmer’s more orchestral works includes the track titled “Blackbeard.”

Zimmer uses brass to convey Blackbeard’s menace and authority against those who would challenge him.

As a whole, it gives Blackbeard more personality than the film did, in retrospect. Although IanMcShane looks the part, his Blackbeard is one-note.

Aside from being cruel, he possesses no other traits of meaning. Due to the less accomplished script, McShane isn’t able to explore the man behind the legend.

This leaves the film one of the franchise’s less well-developed antagonists. Another new addition to the franchise is Penélope Cruz as the mysterious Angelica.

In the film, she acts as the counter to Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow. There’s even a scene where she impersonates him, leading to a brief sword clash.

Beyond the actresses’ striking features, Penelope has some brief moments of intensity. Take when Jack tricks her father, Blackbeard, into drinking a chalice with the poisonous water.

Her reaction is one of immediate anger, which is an emotion the actress displays well enough. Beyond a few other scenes, her character isn’t given much else.

If the film had explored her previous relationship with Jack, their interactions would’ve allowed for more scene variety.

As for Johnny Depp, he delivers the same lighthearted performances fans know him for.

Even if the film gives him the same comedic notes to play with, Johnny makes it work.

Rejoining the cast is Geoffrey Rush as Hector Barbossa. In the film, he’s revealed to be King George II’s privateer.

Though this may seem his true purpose, he uses his position to take revenge against Blackbeard.

In one scene, Barbossa reveals that Blackbeard had sunk Barbossa’s famed ship, the Black Pearl. This would also cost him his leg in the process.

Though the context for this scene helps, seeing how it happened may have been more impactful. Still, Geoffrey Rush brings the same committed performance to his character.

What isn’t as committed is the film’s plot. Whilst reaching the Fountain of Youth is the main objective, getting there is uneventful.

This is due to the film’s lack of stakes and urgency to reach that destination. Its location variety, along with its small-scale action, makes the adventure seem less important.

This also makes the film’s substantial reported budget of over $300 million seem wasted.

Director Rob Marshall should’ve taken advantage of this to produce more impressive setpieces.

One sequence that does stand out is one with mermaids. At first, the situation appears normal. A sailor sings the mermaids a song, with one of them singing along with him.

Fixated by her beauty, the mermaid bears her sharp fangs. Once he realises this, the situation descends into chaos.

Each of the mermaids picks the sailors off one-by-one. This gives the scene a sense of urgency and dread, which other scenes lack.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, On Stranger Tides is a less accomplished instalment to this franchise. This is due to its lack of plot urgency and more standard action.

Where it also stumbles is with its development of new characters. Beyond being cruel, Ian McShane as Blackbeard isn’t given much more to work with.

Whilst Penélope Cruz shows more promise, further backstory between her and Jack would’ve been welcome.

Its visuals are also less impressive in their execution. As a whole, this leaves its substantial budget feeling almost pointless.

Where the film does work is with Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush’s reliable performances. As usual, they make up much of the entertainment.

Hans Zimmer and Rodrigo y Gabriela also bring some personality to the score. Despite reusing certain tracks, Zimmer’s work offers entertaining moments.

If viewers can focus on these positives, they may forgive the film’s structural issues. As a whole, On Stranger Tides offers glimpses of fun that may be worth experiencing.

Sam’s Action Reaction score:

Characters - 6/10

Story - 6/10

Action - 6/10

Visuals and CGI - 7/10

Soundtrack - 7.5/10

Overall score: 6.5 out of 10