Reviews

Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides (2D)

Director: Rob Marshall
Starring: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane
Rated: M

Johnny Depp returns in Pirates of the Carribean 4: On Stranger Tides The long-awaited fourth instalment of the Pirates films has arrived, and it's a flashback to the original quick-witted, action-packed movie.

With not much story carrying over from the previous film (At World's End), the plot is relatively easy to follow, perhaps even a little slow. However, the complexities added by each character's individual agenda keep things interesting.

Johhny Depp returns as the same quirky Jack Sparrow - sorry, Cap'n Jack Sparrow - that we know and love. From the moment his black-lined eyes fill the screen, a sense of mischief returns, and another swashbuckling adventure begins.

Sparrow once again runs into Captain Barbosa (Rush), this time working for King George as part of the Royal Navy. It is now we discover that they're both in search of the same thing: the fabled Fountain of Youth. And they're not the only ones.

Already behind in the race against the Spanish, Jack encounters the legendary Captain Blackbeard (McShane), "the pirate whom all pirates fear", when he accidentally ends up as part of the crew of Blackbeard's ship, The Queen Anne's Revenge. And as chance would have it, Blackbeard is also in search of the Fountain of Youth.

Noticeably missing are Will and Elizabeth, whose romance in the past three films has been a touching subplot. And without Keira Knightly as the feisty Elizabeth Swan, the film is in need of a new heroine. Cue Penelope Cruz as Angelica, a woman straight out of Jack's past who brings with her a complicated romantic history and a smouldering temperament. Then Marshall throws in some mermaids - like you've never seen them before - and the fun really begins.

In order to perform the ritual at the Fountain and allegedly gain eternal life, the adventurers must obtain two silver chalices and a mermaid's tear. So, it's off to catch a mermaid and fetch those cups from a shipwreck. Did we mention that mermaids like to eat men?

Jack attempts a mutiny, a missionary falls in love with a mermaid, and everybody seems to hate Blackbeard, who himself is rather afraid of 'the one-legged man'. With some barrel-rolling action that's rather Mario-esque, a fair amount of sword fighting and Jack Sparrow's uncouth charm, On Stranger Tides is reminiscent of the original Pirates movie.

All-in-all, it's a must-see for all Pirates (and Johnny Depp) fans, while the return to the original Pirates action-adventure style is enough to please the general movie fan. Savvy?

4 out of 5

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