Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides

Cast: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Sam Claflin, Kieth Richards and Stephen Graham.

Director: Rob Marshall

Release Date: 2011

Running Time: 2hrs 16 minutes

Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG-13

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

Captain Barbossa and Captain Jack Sparrow, go on a quest to find the fountain of youth, only to discover that Captain Blackbeard and his daughter want their hands on it too!

The worst thing you can do with a huge film franchise is suddenly change the director. A director should know his actors well, his crew well and his set very well. Director Rob Marshall brings us the fourth film in the series. Jack Sparrow is after the fountain of youth! Jack Sparrow has his usual fantastic introduction this time in the presence of King George played fanatically by the late Richard Griffiths. In all honesty it's not Johnny Depp's best performance as Jack Sparrow, this is why it doesn't always pay to have a change in director, Johnny Depp is a remarkable actor, I believe who at fault here is the director whom told him to perform that way. After being so used to seeing Keira Knightly as the leading lady it was a bit odd seeing Penelope Cruz in her place as Angelica, supposedly Blackbeards daughter. I find myself struggling to warm to her character.

Edward Teach "Blackbeard" is played by Ian McShane, Blackbeard was thought to be a very fearsome character in real life who loved frightening his enemies by lighting fuses under his long black beard. I'm not sure that McShane was the right actor to portray him, his performance is good however I think Peter Ustinov portrayed a far better Blackbeard. What's more irritating is supposedly the film is set in 1750, Blackbeard and his crew died in 1718! I know it's just a movie right? Were writers Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio aware of this during the writing of the screenplay? Sam Clafin plays Philip a religious young pirate who is neither here or there when it comes to joining Sparrow's crew. Clafin in good however he doesn't bring a great deal of characterisation to his role. Geoffrey Rush too portrays one of his weakest performances as Captain Barbossa. I know it's been a few years, but it doesn't seem like the same man playing the same character.

I'm almost under the impression that Disney tried to make a movie about Blackbeard but got it historically wrong and then thought they'd add a fountain of youth into the story to make it a bit more interesting? The storyline is good, it just doesn't always make sense in some places, not in my opinion anyway. Blackbeard is somewhat of a stereotype. Blackbeard was a hardcore pirate. His character appears too friendly. I'm not buying the relationship between Angelica and Blackbeard too. Father and daughter? Don't make me laugh. Blackbeard? He looks like he'd fit in more with the rock band Slash!

Onto the positives! Although Gore Virbinski didn't make a return, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski did return one last time. The cinematography is particularly nice, more so in the second chapter of the film. Although the lighting is very dark, which is a little bit annoying, you can barely see what's happening during a few scenes. Otherwise it works very well to enhance the atmosphere. The production design is good, but again not quite as good as the others. Shot mainly in Hawaii and England which makes quite a change to...well...um the Caribbean? Again the the sets feel more lived in and realistic at the beginning of the movie when we are shown King George. Oh, also historically incorrect, King George was born in 1895, I'm not too sure they've thought this through? Oh I know, it's just a movie right? It is good to be historically correct though!

In all honesty not a favourite of mine! Although it carries on nicely from the third movie, it feels slightly like an origin movie too. Entertaining, but not great!

3/5 stars