"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is the fourth installment of the swashbuckling "Pirates" series. This movie introduces some new creatures: mermaids and not-so-zombie-looking-zombies, as well as new characters: Blackbeard, (Ian McShane), the darkest, most evil pirate on the seven seas, and Angelica (Penélope Cruz), who is Captain Jack Sparrow’s old flame and Blackbeard’s daughter.
However, the fourth movie lacks the dynamic duo: Elizabeth Swann (Kiera Knightley) and the devilishly handsome Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), who chose not to return to the film. Thankfully, the film lacks the slightly disturbing sea creatures and skeletons that were so common in the previous movies. It does contain, however, the expected witty one-liners, mistaken identities and overall pirate shenanigans that made the other movies so great.
The movie opens up to a scene on the sea, with a couple of unnamed sailors out catching fish. They also catch a stow-away, an old man is carrying a little black book. The sailors bring him back to Spain, introducing the Spanish pirates. It turns out that the little black book contains the purpose of the entire movie: the quest for the Fountain of Youth.
Cut to England, where the plot picks up with Jack, planning escape in England from the huge trial for all of the known pirates. This is where the first mistaken identity occurs. Gibbs (Kevin McNally), Jack's trusty first mate, is identified as Jack. Jack, however, is impersonating the judge. (The real judge has been tied up and stuffed in a closet.) After an almost well-thought out escape, Jack is taken to speak to the King of England. In this exchange, the audience discovers two things: First, another "Jack Sparrow" has been recruiting a crew to search for the fountain of youth--mistaken idntity number two--and second, Barbosa (Geoffrey Rush) is now putting a crew together under the King of England to beat the Spanish to the Fountain of Youth.
Enter Jack's father, with some words of wisdom about the Fountain. This leads to another turn of events, which ultimately leads to Jack's presence on "Queen Anne's Revenge," Blackbeard's ship. Blackbeard is able to control his ship with just the slightest movement of his palm on the hilt of his sword. This is where the zombies come into play: They are the ones who keep the crew in line so the elusive Blackbeard can stay in his cabin.
The next danger occurs when the pirates come across the mermaids. The mermaids lure sailors into the water and then pull them under until the sailors drown, upon which they eat them. The pirates, however, need to get a tear of a mermaid, part to the Fountain of Youth ritual. The ritual also includes two silver goblets--which just so happen to be in the Spainards' possession. Of course, Jack is the one sent to find the goblets. This leads him to jumping off a cliff and ultimately waltzing into the Spanish camp to steal them. Barbosa and his crew also happen to go with Jack on this journey.
The movie continues, with a love-twist between a clergyman and a mermaid, as well as Jack pretending like he knows what he's doing. In the end, the English, Spanish and Blackbeard's crew all end up together at the Fountain--shocker. The movie ends almost where the first movie began, giving a very satisfying finish.
This movie isn't the best of the series, but it beats the third movie by a long shot. It has some funny moments, and the actors do a good job portraying the emotions in their characters. But these things are expected, and the movie is pretty predictable.
For a teenager, this is a good movie if you have nothing else to do. Seeing it in theatres is nice because you get to see the brilliant colors and vivid scenes more clearly. But waiting to rent the movie and watch it at home is a good option too. You don't miss much if you wait to watch in the comfort of your own home.
photo courtesy of FilmoFilia.com