REVIEW: Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 3D

MOVIE
Pirates Of The Caribbean:
On Stranger Tides

CAST
Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
May 20, 2011

DIRECTOR
Rob Marshall

STUDIO
Walt Disney Pictures

RUNNING TIME
2 hours 16 minutes








STARS
***1/4










REVIEW:

When Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opens up, we soon find out that Jack Sparrow (Captain) is wanted for piracy, former pirate Captain Barbossa now works for the British government, and everyone is looking for the legendary Fountain of Youth. This time however, Jack has some advantages to take control of on the new voyage. Firstly, Orlando Bloom (Will) and Keira Knightly (Elizabeth) are nowhere to be found, so their sappy romance story won't be filtering our action packed minds. Second, you're favorite sidekick pirate Gibbs is back to assist our bumbling yet smart anti-hero. Third, and possibly the best of all of the reasons, our beloved Captain Jack is joined by the fierce and hot female pirate that is Penélope Cruz. With these things to remember, you're going to have a fun time at the movies, as On Stranger Tides is not only the best Pirates movie to date, but it's also one of the best movie that I've see this year, and that's saying something since I'm comparing this movie to Source Code and Hanna.

Like I previously said, we find ol' Captain Jack wanted for the crime of piracy. Escaping from the British, Jack is on a quest to gain eternal life with the help of the Fountain of Youth. On the way however, Jack encounters the king of pirates, Blackbeard as well as his daughter Angelica, whom Jack once had a fling with back in the day. Meanwhile Captain Barbossa, now working for the British is also looking for the Fountain with some help of Jack's right hand man, Gibbs. Who will be the one to gain eternal life, and what kind of dangers will they face on the way?

This is exactly what audiences would expect from a Johnny Depp/Disney adventure movie: lots of action, much more of comedy, and plain 3D awesomeness. Since this is a Johnny Depp movie, why not talk about him first. As always, Mr. Depp plays Sparrow with originality and with tons of humor. I actually think that this movie had the most humor out of the other three. Johnny Depp has been and always will be a gifted comedian. He has a real bond with Jack Sparrow, and I personally can't wait to see him put his pirate gear on once again if they come out with a fifth movie. The rest of the cast listed on the poster I believe are all Academy Award winning performers. Two new characters introduced into the series are Blackbeard and Angelica, played respectively by Ian McShane and Penélope Cruz.

The best thing to come in this movie is the chemistry of Depp and Cruz. I love how they keep a solid love/hate relationship going on throughout, as it adds much more to the fun of the movie. As for Ian McShane, he is just a cool pirate when playing Blackbeard. You don't fear him like you would with Voldemort or Gollum, but he is still a really cool villain and a nice presence when Geoffrey Rush isn't on screen. As for Mr. Rush, he is always a badass when he's on screen. Well, usually it's during the battle sequences when he's a badass. However, he is always a great presence when he's on screen, and will always be an awesome anti-hero.

With every great movie there has to be a corny sub plot. You know how in the first three movies we had Will and Elizabeth there just for the corny love plot? Well in this movie, we have a religious sailor falling in love to a mermaid whom Blackbeard captures to gain access into the Fountain. It's an unnecessary storyline, yet helps keep the flow going so the movie doesn't become boring. It may be another love story in an adventure movie, but these movies wouldn't be the same without them. Hasn't anyone learned about corny love stories from Star Wars or Lord of the Rings?

Unlike Thor, I felt that Pirates used it's 3D rather well. This movie, like Avatar was shot with 3D cameras, so it felt like you were looking through a Disney portal into the world of Jack. Of course this movie has the occasional "in your face" moment as seen in the trailers, but those come once in a while and you get used to it instead of dodging it in your seat. Plus with the 'shot in 3D' advantage, you get to see the surroundings with perfect depth, as well as not have everything pop out at you all of the time. I would strongly recommend the 3D for this movie, mainly for two reasons: 1.) who can't resist seeing Johnny Depp pulling off crazy stuntwork in 3D? and 2.) the visual effects in this movie are stunning in 3D. Even if you're not a 3D fan, there's probably no choice for you since you'd have to travel to giant multiplexes in order to see movies in 2D these days. Though believe me when I say that Pirates was meant for the 3D experience, and it's clearly shown in this movie. Now if only they used 3D for the epic final battle in At World's End...

I've never been disappointed by any Pirates movie in the series. Luckily, this movie was no exception to the trend. I laughed, i jumped, i was amazed. This series isn't losing any steam, so I hope Disney will be smart enough to keep this series coming. I want to see what's going to happent next to Captain Jack and Barbossa. Plus from the post-credits scene that I saw, there's no doubt that the audience will be begging for a sequel. This movie, like I said is well worth the 3D ticket, as the characters look more real than they did in 2D, plus gives the movie a sort of 'looking through the window' feel. The casting is great, the action is unbelievable, and the deadly mermaids scene will make you jump out of your seat and creep you out at the same time. Have you ever seen 'Jennifer's Body'? I haven't, but I'm guessing that the mermaids scene in this film might be like Megan Fox's character in the latter film. So in case you didn't get the message quite yet, I loved 'On Stranger Tides,' and I can't wait to see a Pirates of the Caribbean 5. Oh and before this ends, two quick things: 1.) STAY AFTER THE CREDITS! 2.) look out for the cameos when Jack takes an unexpected turn at the beginning of the movie (I'm not counting Keith Richards) Do you like summer fun? Well the summer of 2011 is only getting started, and Pirates 4 continues the trend of great summer flicks.