Ryan McNeil
When trying to articulate what I think about a film, I have to balance two sides. There’s my brian that wants to be challenged, demands something special, and delights in being provoked. There’s also my heart, which was moulded as a six-year-old filmgoer, loves to laugh, and just wants to be entertained.
Usually, I defer to the my brain…but every once in a while, my heart wins out.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES re-acquaints us with Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). After all the events of the previous trilogy, Sparrow has returned to London where he is still a hunted pirate. In trying to free one of his usual crew members, Jack is dragged into audience with King George. His Highness tasks Sparrow with leading an expedition to find The Fountain of Youth, since he has it on good authority that Spain has located it and is en route. King George wants Sparrow to work with his old nemesis Captain Hector Barbosa (Geoffrey Rush), beat the Spanish there, and claim the fountain in the name of England.
After turning the offer down and escaping the palace, Sparrow happens upon a pub where something odd is taking place. Seems as though many have gathered to offer their services as crew members on an expedition searching for the Fountain of Youth – an expedition being led by Captain Jack Sparrow. Knowing that he has made no such casting call, Sparrow looks to learn the identity of the impostor. Turns out its a comely young lass named Angelica – a former love interest of Sparrow’s who coaxes him into coming along.
Unfortunately, Angelica is also posing as the long-lost daughter of Blackbeard (Ian McShane), who after finding out about Sparrow, forces him to lead the entire mission, hoping to beat both the Spaniards and Barbosa’s English envoy to the prize.
Judging ON STRANGER TIDES is admittedly tricky. For starters, I wasn’t left wanting more when the credits rolled on AT WORLD’S END. I found that film to be a bit overblown and scattershot. With that in mind though, I’ve always taken the bait with the POTC brand and always been charmed by what Johnny Depp can do with the character. So while I was hesitant to come back for a fourth helping, I reminded myself of one thing: “It could be fun”.
It was – and by that measure, the film is a success.
The film is still far from flawless though. For starters, I didn’t think that the plot needed both the Spaniards and The Brits to join the race, especially given that The Spaniards don’t do anything The Brits couldn’t have. Beyond that, I will readily admit once all of our treasure-hunters get to Whitecap Bay, the plot seems to take the longest route possible to the fountain. However, just about everytime I was getting antsy, the film had just the right remedy: It brought everything back to Sparrow.
This is the first POTC film to push Jack Sparrow into the protagonist’s role, and for me this was a welcome move. Along with the fact that Depp has ingrained himself so deeply into the character that he can charm and amuse with merely a smirk, he’s clearly the character we’ve all been paying to see all this time. So as happy as I am that Miss Swan and Mister Turner ended up star cross’d lovers, I found that I had more fun when Sparrow was causing mischief and pushing the story forward. No other actor in the film brings anything exceptional to their part, and yet many of them seem to find another gear when they are playing off Depp. ON STRANGER TIDES is supposed to launch a second trilogy of films, and if they are all to have Sparrow front-and-centre, perhaps there’s hope.
The movie seemed to scale things back and try to emulate what worked best in CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, and to that end I believe the movie succeeds. While I’m not even close to proclaiming Rob Marshall to be a great director, he shows promise with action set pieces such as the mermaid attack and the London carriage escape pictured above. Everything feels grounded in the real, and has been cut in a way that keep the viewer in tune with what’s going on (no easy feat for modern action directors). Marshall could use some help in getting something more from actors like Penelope Cruz – who seems wasted in this film – but he’s done well enough this first time out, and has given the series somewhere to go.
In writing all of these positive notes, I realize that there are many out there who don’t/won’t like ON STRANGER TIDES (when I watched the film, I sat next to two such people). To those, I cannot argue that there is much the film could have done better. For me though, the summertime is about having fun at the movies, and if I walk out of a theatre having had my fill of fun for two hours (or more), I call it a win. Hollywood seems to have a tough time giving us fun movies, and an even tougher time when the movies are sequels to other fun movies. ON STRANGER TIDES does not reach the bar of unexpected joy set by CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, but I believe that it works better than the overstuffed DEAD MAN’S CHEST or AT WORLD’S END.
So take that for what you will, but I’m taking it for time well spent.