Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

 

Time for the final (well, at the time of writing) installment in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean'-franchise, one that stayed popular absurdly longer than anyone conceived. However, the last one ('On Stranger Tides') was very much a letdown, being a boring slog of a film with no true fun characters and just Ian McShane being his wonderful self as Blackbeard. So this one had to try and right a lot of wrongs. 

It partially succeeds, as it is a more entertaining than the last one. That has got to count for something, right?

This time, the son of Will and Elizabeth (our leads of the first three films) is looking for Jack, because the boy wants to find the trident of Poseidon to free his father from being bound to the Flying Dutchman. But he comes across a ghost ship under the auspices of Capitan Salazar, who is very angry at Jack Sparrow for condemning him to this life of ghostly horror.

It seems everyone hates Jack. You wonder why... 

So once again it is a race to find the trident first. Along the way Barbossa joins the fun and there is a girl called Carina who is very much scientifically inclined and who turns out to be Barbossa's daughter. 

No, this isn't really a spoiler, as anyone with half a brain can figure this out in record time.

So, is this one worth your time? Well, sort of. See, if you like the franchise, there can be little doubt that this one is more entertaining than the last one. It flies by at breakneck speed and there isn't really a dull moment. Sure, the characters are paperthin and the fetch quest is nothing new, as is the idea that ghosts are now hunting Jack, but they try to compensate this with a lot more humour. 

Yes, this one at times is more of a comedy than anything else. 

To be fair: Javier Bardem is a wonderful antagonist, but that has more to do with the man's screen presence than the motivation for the character which is as bland as uncooked tofu. This blandness also applies to our new leads. Not their fault, as Kaya Scodelario for example can definitely act, but they just aren't given that much to work with. Even Geoffrey Rush can't truly shine, but he was always the best in the very first film. 

So a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, this one is funny and entertaining, but it can't be denied that a lot of the acting is subpar and the story feels way too much like a rehash of other films. Let's put it this way: if you weren't already a fan of the 'Pirates', then you won't enjoy this. Otherwise, give it a go. It's not terrible, but not particularly good either, but at least it's never boring.