Piratas del Caribe: Navegando aguas misteriosas

After a four-year hiatus to regroup and determine the future of the franchise, Disney and what was once its surprise mega-hit "Pirates of the Caribbean" series have returned in "On Stranger Tides." Hard to believe that this franchise evolved from the once-lambasted concept of a theme park ride being turned into a successful motion-picture blockbuster. After exhausting the "Pirates" world with two back-to-back sequels of titanic and rather disappointing proportion in 2006 and 2007, a break in the action to recalibrate Captain Jack Sparrow's compass was much-needed. The "new" course set by "On Stranger Tides" uses worn sails, but with a fresh wind of characters and more importantly, a more direct purpose.

As promised in the end of "At World's End," Jack's looking for the Fountain of Youth if for nothing more than ships and giggles. First, however, he must take a side trip to London to rescue his old pal Gibbs (Kevin McNally) and subsequently the palace of King George (Richard Griffiths in a lovely cameo). There, he learns that his old pal Barbossa (Rush) has lost The Black Pearl as well as his leg and sold out to His Majesty's Royal Navy. He is to help the English find the Fountain before the Spaniards do. Jack, of course, knows the way there, thus continuing his ongoing role as an indispensable pestilence.

After a familiar improvised escape, he crosses paths with an old lover, Angelica (Penelope Cruz), who he once deflowered before she was to take her vows at a convent. She mentions she has a ship he can borrow, only it turns out that it's her father's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, captained by none other than Blackbeard the Pirate (Ian McShane), a feared and soulless scourge with a minor in black magic. So much for smooth sailing.

As overdone and cliché as the Fountain of Youth may be, it's perfect for the "Pirates" franchise and helps keep things very simple, something the last installment had more than a fair deal of trouble with. Only a few character subplots threaten to convolute the story, but all motivations lead to the Fountain regardless the reason. In fact, "On Stranger Tides" marks the first film to truly focus on Captain Jack. With Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley's characters out of the way, the franchise can keep the spotlight on the reason it's gotten four films deep. Depp has nothing new in store for us as the true center of attention, but by continuing to underplay the trademark quirks and mannerisms, he continues to prolong the deterioration of the Capt. Jack act. Some might disagree, but it depends how much you liked him the first place.

In terms of new faces, Ian McShane is impeccable as Blackbeard. Rush gave a wonderfully theatrical performance as the main villain in the first film, but McShane introduces the first true quantifiable force of evil the franchise has seen. Although his voodoo abilities and reputation for killing his men and bringing them back from the dead to serve as his zombie slaves are never entirely realized, he's the merciless villain this film needed. He never fully crosses into scare-your-children evil, but he could've at any instant and that feeling radiates from his performance. In general, this film aligns itself more with fantasy and traditional folklore than the supernatural like the previous film.

Among other new faces, Rob Marshall as the franchise's new director does serviceable work. The "Chicago" filmmaker chews the scenery well and creates effective moods and tones, but the action could have been a bit more inspired, especially considering the series' reputation for sword-fighting ingenuity.

Marshall's best work and the film's best sequence deals with mermaids, not the singing and seashell bra type, but seduce you with their looks and then try and devour you with fangs type. Quiet, suspenseful and culminating in a full-on action sequence, the mermaids constitute the one completely fresh element of the film. Their cove is the lone stop on the journey as well, so it's the only aspect of the plot that creates that classic seafaring adventure feeling akin to Homer's "The Odyssey."

Not much else deviates from the formula, so those hoping for a resurgence in the series or something as good as the first film, "The Curse of the Black Pearl," will remain wishful thinkers once again. It's hard to imagine where the series could go next without retreading over old ground or just introducing new characters for the sake of it, but Captain Jack Sparrow remains one of the few reliable comforts of blockbuster cinema, and any adventure with him at the wheel will struggle to be a total waste of time. "On Stranger Tides" makes just enough adjustments to the series to make for a successful installment.

~Steven C

Visit my site at http://moviemusereviews.com

These Pirates films are all about entertainment and thankfully this latest adventure with Captain Jack Sparrow at the helm is back to basics, reminding me of the formula that made the very first one, Curse of the Black pearl so great. Don't worry I won't give anything away here but be aware that the opening 20 minutes is one funny sequence and quirky one liner after another. There is also a couple of hilarious cameos, one may be familiar but the other was a right royal shock. Depp walks through his lethargic swaying pirate character with ultimate ease, while new high seas bad boy Blackbeard is exceptional, but not as cool as Sparrows former flame played by Cruz. She is foxy, feisty and funny. The action is elevated by some wonderful 3D effects but I am sure the film would be just as rocking without it. Finally, the highlight is the Mermaid scenes. As dark as they are, they take the viewer into their web of intrigue. Australian Gemma Ward even sings during an evocative moment. Remember to stay on after the credits for an EXTRA scene. After the last two installments left me crying with disappointment, I Loved it.

As far as the Pirates of the Caribbean movies go, On Stranger Tides may be lacking in the rollicking fun of Curse of the Black Pearl, which I absolutely loved, though it's closer in spirit to it than those of the two movies before, but I think it is better than Dead Man's Chest, which had great effects and a brilliant Bill Nighy but felt overlong and ferentic sometimes, and At World's End, which had the cast giving their all, great visuals, score and final battle but rather convoluted and bloated on the whole.

On Stranger Tides isn't perfect. I did feel it did have perhaps have too many moments of exposition and clichés, though the story if slightly rickety in places here is less bloated noticeably and better paced than the film released before it which is a good thing. I also felt the romantic subplot(s) felt underdeveloped and forced, and while there are some droll, bizarre and witty quips particularly with Depp, Rush and Cruz there is a bit of filler that could have been excised.

However, despite these complaints, On Stranger Tides is a worthy instalment. Once again, the production values are impeccable, the cinematography is skillful, the costumes, sets and period recreation is authentic and the effects are superb. The opening twenty minutes is an example of the writing being at its funniest and wittiest, and the scenes with the mermaids are beautifully shot and intriguing.

While not perhaps original, and not among his best, I did very much like Hans Zimmer's score, which was rousing and brought some much-needed energy. The characters are not the best developed, but they are fun and there aren't too many of them to interrupt the flow of the story, a big problem I found with At World's End, while the action sequences are both exciting and nail-biting on the whole.

I wasn't so sure about Rob Marshall as director, but he does a far better job than expected, and the film is livelier in pace than Dead Man's Chest and At World's End. The acting is good enough for what it was. Johnny Depp plays lovable rogue Jack Sparrow with a voluptuous swagger and sly humour and nails it again, while the idea to omit Kiera Knightley and Orlando Bloom here proved a good one, without them for my money the whole adventure carried less of a dead weight.

Instead we have Penelope Cruz, who proves a perfect match for Depp. She is feisty, beautiful, foxy and sexy, and also likable and fun. I was wondering what they would do for villains without Bill Nighy, but I needn't have worried. Ian McShane is a worthy addition as Blackbeard, who is charming in a grizzly way while committing acts of great evil. Geoffrey Rush is underused in a way, but he does have some great lines and a fun presence so he isn't a complete waste.

In conclusion, On Stranger Tides is not a perfect film, but as an instalment to a decent enough franchise it is a more than worthy one. And you know, what I've said about this movie was not something I thought I would be saying, because judging by what I'd seen of the advertising/trailers, it looked as though it was going be the worst of the series, but actually for me it wasn't. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox

The franchise has shifted. The 'first trilogy' was visually-centered. It was quite literally a ride, allowing Depp room to creatively be silly. Some of the cinematic stretch was significant, and I still remember the Shackleford reference fondly.

This is something entirely different. Sure, it has busy sequences and characters from the same universe. But now we have something story- centric. Images are pasted onto the story rather than the other way around.

There's even an excess of story and excess within story with the excess being a character itself.

There are at least three love stories, one of them tender and conventional, all of them centered on Catalonian women.

There is something of an overarching battle between Christianity and the supernatural. The extreme irony is that the Spaniards are the token of the faith. In actual life, they were the ones who invented the notions of supernatural evil, the first continental faith-based genocide and New World slavery.

There is a nice little revenge story that references Moby Dick. And at the end two Peter Pan like affirmations of the (pirate's) life of adventure.

I liked it. I liked the gush and mix of narrative. I liked the appropriation of Almodovarian values. But I have to say that no one knew how to leverage Penelope the way Pedro can. She is not inventive like Johnny and Geoffrey. She is a vessel, a vulnerable vessel that can be filled with female assets. But she has to gather that from the environment. Making her into something even Geena Davis and her lover could not do is a sacrilege.

Yes, there's no Bloom or Knightley in this one, and it might not be as action-packed as the others, but it's far from a bad film. Depp, Rush and McShane did a fantastic job at carrying the franchise to its fourth installment. There's plenty of laughs, some well choreographed action sequences, and it's a nice little tale of the search for the Fountain of Youth. This one is definitely up there with the first three films for me.