Can anything keep Captain Jack Sparrow down? Well, as long as
Johnny Depp plays the offbeat pirate of the high seas, as he does
in
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the answer
is "Not bloody likely, mate!" This fourth installment of the
Pirates franchise is jolly good fun--nearly as good as the
first one, in fact. The writing is crisp, the action amazing--and
there's the addition of a foe finally the match of Captain Jack:
Ian McShane as the dreaded, and dreadful, Blackbeard. McShane seems
to be having as much fun as Depp, and that's saying
something--channeling his dastardly character on
Deadwood
but keeping his epithets rated PG-13. Adding to the festivities is
the winsome Penélope Cruz, as Angelica, a woman with a past
entwined with Jack Sparrow's. Angelica now might be a fearsome
pirate herself--or maybe just a cunning con artist tugging at
Sparrow's heartstrings.
The action in On Stranger Tides centers on the quest
to find the legendary Fountain of Youth in the Americas. But the
plot, of course, is incidental in the Pirates films. From
the earliest scenes, it's clear the action, and Depp's winking at
the camera, are the stars. Captain Jack stages a giant food fight
in front of the King of England, culminating in a chandelier scene
worthy of The Phantom of the Opera, and he's off at a
gallop. Along for the ride are previous cast members Geoffrey Rush
(who's sold out and is now an unctuous representative of His
Majesty's Navy); loyal sidekick Kevin McNally, who narrowly escapes
a death sentence, and then celebrates by leaping on board Captain
Jack's fraught mission; and Keith Richards as Jacky's dad, who
speaks few words, but wise ones. There are even zombie pirates, and
a mysterious mermaid. Pirates of the Caribbean isn't
suitable for viewers under 8 or so, because it's dark and intense
in spots, but otherwise, it's a rollicking good popcorn film.
--A.T. Hurley
