Johnny Depp returns as Capt. Jack Sparrow in the fifth outing for the “Pirates of the Caribbean” film franchise. Based on the phenomenally popular attraction at Disneyland and Walt Disney World; the latest film “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” finds Jack and his crew once again at odds with British authorities in St. Maarten. Adding Jack’s troubles is a malevolent spirit from his past named Capt. Salazar (Javier Bardem), who seeks to return to the living by exacting his revenge upon Jack. Along for the adventure are a young man named Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites), and a science minded woman named Carina (Kaya Scodelario), who all have their reasons for joining one another on the adventure despite ample levels of mistrust amongst them.
In keeping with the series all sorts of comedic hijinks mixed with action and the supernatural to give audiences a very noisy and destruction filled storyline.
While there is a decent amount of action in the film there were also large gaps where things just plod along which caused me to glance at my watch from time to time during the two-hour runtime of the film. Adding to the issues is the tendency of depth to slur and mumble his lines playing the frequently inebriated Capt. Jack which does hamper some of the better lines in the film.
Well I certainly enjoyed this one much better than the second and third films in the series I kept thinking that I have seen this all before and that this film was essentially a collection of some of the best moments from previous films combined into one. The end result is that I found myself saying that while I would not mind another outing in the series I would also be more than okay they decided to end the cinematic adventures with this film. Diehard fans will likely enjoy this new effort but more casual fans may not have as much patience this time around.
3 stars out of 5
Second review by Tracey Barrientos
On my tenth birthday I went to Disneyland for the very first time. Ever since then my favorite ride at the parks has been Pirates of the Caribbean. Even before the “sexiest man on earth” decided to play Captain Jack Sparrow, that just happened to be a plus. When I found out that a series of movies were being made and that my favorite actor would be playing the main character I was ecstatic! I am so happy that I was able to screen this installment as it was pretty darn good
In Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, a young boy by the name of Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) is determined to find a way to save his father Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) from a curse. Henry has studied all the legends and tales of the sea and is certain that only Poseidon’s trident can break his fathers curse. Henry also has come to the conclusion that the only person who could help him find the trident is the famed and notorious Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). Also wanting to help for her own reasons is Carina (Kaya Scodelario), a young woman imprisoned on the suspicion of witchcraft possesses The Map that Which No Man Can Read. Like Henry, she has studied this journal her whole life and claims that through the astrological mapping found within the journal she can find the trident. It seems as a simple task but with Jack nothing is simple Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) was cursed by Sparrow and has finally escaped The Devils Triangle only to seek revenge against Jack who put him there. The race begins to find the trident and save the group from the curses that plague them.
I am extremely happy at how the films have been executed throughout these years, especially Dead Men Tell No Tales. The audience gets a glimpse of where Jack’s adventure began which I thought was a great addition as I’ve always wondered how he became captain. Despite all of Depp’s recent personal issues, it in no way affects how much of an amazing actor he is and I honestly couldn’t imagine anybody else portraying Jack. The film doesn’t need to be seen in 3D to be enjoyed however I loved it in 3D. The film in my opinion was the perfect ending to the saga that I have loved and followed for years. Though I am left with that burning question, is this really the end or perhaps am I giving in to wishful thinking. Either way hopefully we will see more. Be sure to stay after the credits for a bonus scene.
5 out of 5 stars!
