Pirates of the Caribbean review: Swashbuckling fun
Captain Jack Sparrow is back! Billed as the fifth and final installment of the once wildly successful Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Salazar’s Revenge (also known as Dead Men Tell No Tales in the US) sees Johnny Depp reprise one of his most iconic roles with a cast of familiar faces and new blood.
The voyage this time sets them on the search for the trident of Poseidon, an artifact believed to have the power to break all spells and curses of the sea. New character Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) wants it to free his father, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom). Will is cursed to serve as the new captain of The Flying Dutchman, which he can only leave once a decade.
Meanwhile, latest spook Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) and his crew of the undead are also on the prowl. They were trapped in the purgatory-like Devil’s Triangle years ago by none other than a young Jack Sparrow. Caught in the cross hairs of Salazar’s rage is Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who has now become one of the most successful seafarers and wants to hand over Jack to Salazar in exchange for his ships’ safety.
Yes, it’s all terribly complicated, but just roll with it.
Also joining the fray is another newcomer Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), a capable astronomer and woman of science, who has been branded a heretic by the clueless colonials. The British navy is on her trail, complicating matters. And where is Jack amid all this? As always, he’s trying to save his own skin.
Salazar’s Revenge clearly can’t hold a candle to the thrill and novelty of the very first Pirates movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). But there is hardly a dull moment here – the characters are constantly on the move, the swashbuckling action is relentless and the film is peppered with epic set piece sequences that we have come to associate with the franchise. For instance, the bank heist gone wrong at the beginning of the film, in which a string of horses end up dragging an entire building through the streets of St. Martin island.
This all makes it leagues better than the franchise’s previous outing, On Stranger Tides (2011), which was uneven and, sadly, made poor use of Ian McShane’s commanding presence.
The writers and Bardem have also crafted a worthy villain in Salazar, the ghost of a dogged pirate-hunting Spaniard who spews black tar from his lips while whispering ominous threats. I find him genuinely creepy!
Also noteworthy is Rush’s ever-entertaining portrayal of Captain Sparrow’s frenemy, Captain Barbossa, who is even afforded a touching moment. I won’t give anything away except that it actually reduced me to tears, convincing me even more that Barbossa is one of the best things to come out of the Pirates franchise.
But we can’t have a discussion about a Pirates movie without touching on Depp and the monumental work he’s done bringing Jack Sparrow to life. By now, Captain Sparrow’s swaggering charm and physical peculiarities come naturally to Depp, like a well-worn coat that he is able to slip on comfortably. Let’s not forget that Depp received an Oscar nod for this role and even snagged a Screen Actors Guild award for his work on Curse of the Black Pearl.
Perhaps the weakest link are the young ‘uns, Thwaites and Scodelario, whose Henry and Carina are clearly being plugged as this generation’s Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. But because they’re not as charismatic as their predecessors, their love story is way less interesting to watch.
To me, the appeal of Pirates of the Caribbean lies in the fact that there simply aren’t many films of this genre out there as compared to say superhero/comic book adaptations, which are currently saturating the market. Not since the days of 1930s/40s Hollywood star Errol Flynn have cinema audiences gotten to enjoy a steady stream of swashbuckling, seafaring adventures on the big screen.
Movies like Time Bandits and Cutthroat Island are few and far between, and I would love for this unique genre to be able to continue flying its black flag.
Salazar’s Revenge is currently being panned by many movie critics which makes one wonder what Oscar-worthy turn they are expecting from a blockbuster based on ludicrous nautical mythologies.
Our suggestion – don’t think so much and just have fun with this movie!
PS: Stay till the very end after the credits for something extra.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge is out in cinemas now. Have you seen it? Tell us what you think!
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