Disney Month IV: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Penelope Cruz
Directed by: Rob Marshall


It had been 4 years since we had seen a new Pirates of the Caribbean movie and a lot of fans had a bad taste in their mouth from the last two. So when it was announced that Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides would be coming in 2011, moviegoers were skeptical to say the least, myself included. But then the details started to get released, including that it was going to be without Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. Since the first movie was released, I thought the proper direction of the series was to follow Jack Sparrow on his many adventures. Make him like a modern equivalent of Indiana Jones. There's a lot of sea out there. A lot of myths and legendary treasures to explore. The possibilities were out there for Pirates of the Caribbean to be the next great adventure franchise. I was begging for On Stranger Tides to be that film that steered the course of this franchise into the right direction. The result was a film that left people very disappointed, calling it the worst the franchise had to offer. Yet, here I am proclaiming that I actually think it's not that bad. In fact, there's quite a bit that I think is worth enjoying.

The standout of the new cast is Penelope Cruz as Angelica. Angelica is a former love interest of Jack Sparrow and the chemistry the two have is really good. They bicker like they've known each other for years and pick up with their romantic stirrings when the situation presents itself. If there's one thing to take note of Angelica is that you can't trust her. She may love you, but will give you up without a second thought if it will benefit her. There's a part in the film where she admits to baiting Jack with an obvious lie that actually ended up being the truth. That's some seriously clever deception and the film does a good job of building Angelica up as a legitimate threat for Jack Sparrow. As if to say he has met his match in the form of something we haven't expected. He's faced undead pirates, a tentacle monster, and come back from the dead, but he is no match for a woman running around impersonating him right down to his mannerisms and sword techniques.

Ian McShane plays Angelica's father, the legendary Captain Blackbeard. We're pretty much recycling stuff here with Blackbeard. He has a design similar to Davy Jones, he has an undead army at his command, and has a ship that destroys other ships in its path. We've seen it before, we'll probably see it again, so what really makes Blackbeard stand out? The answer is McShane's performance. I've been a big fan of his work since Deadwood, so I know he can make the most of even the smallest roles. And here, he seems to do a lot with what's given to him. I think his disdain for Sparrow is a bit downplayed, but he makes up for it with the roller coaster relationship he has with his daughter. You can tell both love each other, but are willing to use the other for leverage. Talk about dysfunctional.

Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann are swapped out for a pair of new characters. Replacing Will is a missionary named Philip Swift. Played by Sam Claflin (yes, Finnick for all you Hunger Games enthusiasts out there), I think it's interesting to see a film like this tackle a subject like religion. It plays a pretty key role here, and Philip is one of the main characters influenced by it. Replacing Elizabeth is a mermaid that Philip falls in love with named Syrena, played by Astrid Berges-Frisbey. She's pretty uninteresting, but she's a mermaid and that's kinda cool. Their love story isn't much to write home about, but at least one of the two has something interesting about them.

Lastly, I wanted to talk about a fun little cameo from this film and the previous one that serves as a fun little tribute to the conceptual stages of the films. Johnny Depp has stated in interviews that the inspiration for Jack Sparrow's appearance is from classic rock n roll. He said the pirates were the rock stars of the seas, and drew a lot of inspiration from Keith Richards, the legendary guitarist from the Rolling Stones. So to have Richards show up to play Jack's father Captain Teague is a great little wink to the ideas Depp had to create the look and attitude of one of film's most iconic characters.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is a mixed bag. There's a lot of good to take from it. It's always good to see Jack Sparrow. We go on a fun treasure hunt for the Fountain of Youth. The stuff they do with Barbossa is fantastic and really shows off Geoffrey Rush's acting talents. But there are some flaws that shine through. The formula has gotten stale, some of the characters feel like carbon copies of previous ones, and the plot still feels a little more complicated than it has to be. But at the end, the movie is fine for what it is. With some fine tuning, the formula could work really well in another sequel. But I won't hold my breath. For now, I'll keep a weather eye on the horizon for the day that we have a sequel that can at least live up to the fun adventure of Curse of the Black Pearl.


Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

While a little downscale in scope from the previous sequels, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides still offers what a lot of fans were asking for. We see Jack Sparrow go on a solo adventure that still offers a lot of pirate fun and introduces one or two memorable characters to the franchise. Not great, but a step in the right direction for how the series should be.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures