On Stranger Tides takes the Franchise back to its roots (more or less) for another tale involving the supernatural. It is a strange film indeed, but an entertaining one (especially in 3-D, but more on that later) that manages to hold viewers attention for the duration of its running time.
The story this time around is more character centric than what some may be used to. Jack Sparrow inadvertently bumbles his way onto the Queen Annes Revenge where he gets tangled up in a quest for the Fountain of Youth which involves his lost love Angelica (played by Penelope Cruz) and the fearsome pirate Blackbeard. Back for the ride are Barbossa and Gibbs from the original trilogy.
The plot of On Stranger Tides is more-or-less thrown together out of ideas and good intentions. It never really sticks out as anything special, and I must say it was difficult for me to write the main plot synopsis because the plot is mainly made up of sub-plots and alternate stories. There's the story of Jack and Angelica; a lover whom he scorned and surprisingly feels bad about wronging and actually loves, there's the story of Blackbeard and The Fountain, there's the story of Blackbeard and the prophecy, there's the story of Blackbeard and Angelica, there's the story of Barbossa and Blackbeard, there's the story of Jack and The Black Pearl, and there's the obligatory love story of a missionary and a mermiad.
The main plot thread actually does not involve the fountain of youth, but focuses mainly on Jack trying to right the wrongs he committed to Natalie, his attempts to deal with his conflicting emotions about her (as Jack himself says several times throughout the film: Natalie is a very bad person), and his attempts to keep her safe from harm throughout the film. It's a very interesting character change for Sparrow. He goes from being a man that only cares about himself to one that is able to care about others, and it's pretty darned cool to watch as this happens.
On Stranger Tides not only has some pretty tangled plot threads, but it also has a pretty damned cool villain in the guise of Blackbeard. A dirty, foul pirate who's heart is as black as his boots. Pretty much every character has his or her reasons for wanting to find the Fountain (Jack- Because he fancies the idea of eternal youth, Angelica- For the fame and money etc etc etc) and Blackbeard is no different. In the film there is a pretty nasty prophecy floating around involving Blackbeard and his demise. Now, Blackbeard seems to enjoy doing nasty, evil things and has no plans to stop doing so anytime soon, which is why he is hellbent on finding the fountain. He is not afraid to shoot, maim, kill, or seriously burn anyone who disobeys him, questions his authority, or gets in the way of him and his much sought after prize. He is a crazed madman with absolutely no redeeming qualities to him whatsoever, and that's why I love him so. He's sadistically,unapologetically evil, he knows this, isn't afraid to admit it, and won't apologize for his actions. He's; quite simply; great... brought to all too terrifying life by the great actor Ian McShane.
It's also quite fun to watch as Captain Jack goes about trying to somewhat control Blackbeard's actions throughout the film and watch Jack's reactions as his plans continually backfire, with sometimes disastrous harm to those around him. As much as he tries to make himself out to be a selfish, careless pirate, Captain jack is actually much more human...a fact that is more obvious than it has been before and that that he hates to be reminded of. There are points in On Stranger Tides where Jack's actions are meant to protect and save others, which is very cool considering he IS a pirate after all.
The character of Angelica is also great in just about every way. She is a pretty complicated character: equal parts selfish, greedy and self-centered but also caring, sympathetic and selfless. Like all human beings she is filled with contradictions. When around Jack she knows how to lay on the sexuality and charm to turn him to jello. She promises him a slot as her partner once they find the Fountain of Youth, a prospect that Jack is quite excited about. At the same time though, Jack is fully aware that she is a selfish, greedy, all-around BAD human being. While at times Jack appears to have fallen under her spell, he still manages to stay in control of the situation no matter how hot or tempting she may get. Her first scene where her bosom pops out into the theater (You gotta love the 3-D) she firmly establishes herself as a memorable heroine/villain in the film.
Barbossa is back as well in this film, although he is missing a piece or two (You''ll see what I mean). In this film he is working for the British Government as a Privateer that is also in the race to find the Fountain of Youth. It feels good to have Brbossa back in this film, and the scenes he shares with Jack are memorable and funny, exactly as they should be. Can I just say that Sparrow and Barbossa really are one of the best screen duos I've seen in a while.
Also back is Joshamee Gibbs. Here he falls in with Barbossa's crew and helps both Barbossa and Jack achieve what they are looking for. He shares some funny and entertaining scenes with Sparrow as well. His and Sparrows relationship is that of buddy/buddy and Dog/Owner...it really is quite amusing.
Now, like all other Pirates films ,On Stranger Tides has a love story thrown in. A young missionary named Philip (Sam Claflin) finds himself falling for a mermaid he names Syrena (Astrid Berges-Frisbey) that Blackbeard's crew needs in order to get the waters of the Fountain of Youth to do their magic "eternal youth" thing. This is by far the weakest part of the film, and the filmmakers could have thrown out this plotline altogether and the film would have been much better for it. Philip and Syrena make sad-eyes at each other throughout the film, to a point where I wanted to vomit. In fact, Philip barely serves any purpose at all in the film. He continually begs with Blackbeard to show mercy and kindness to others, but we already know that it's a worthless cause...people like Blackbeard can't and don't deserve to be saved. He is an annoying, whining little snot.
One of the more interesting aspects of the film (even though it does lead into the god-awful romance portion) is the characters of the mermaids. These beautiful, tempting, half-naked creatures sing lullabyes and sweet nothings to sailors to lull them into a false sense of security and then they drag them from their ships, pull them to the bottom of the ocean and eat them alive. They are truly the monsters of the sea, mesmerizingly beautiful but deadly. Syrena is the main mermaid of the film, and quite possibly the youngest one of the bunch (most likely in her early 20s). Throughout most of the film the question is raised if she is different from her deadly sisters, but sadly we never get a satisfying answer to this.
On Stranger Tides was shot in 3-D and is the first Pirates film to do so. The backgrounds, settings, and fight scenes all look so good in 3D I have to create my own word to describe them. FanMazing (a mix of Fantastic and Amazing). They look Fanmazing (Copyright pending) in 3-D. While there are portions where objects jut out of the screens and things go flying out into the theater (It's worth the price alone for the super cool 3-D effect involving Blackbeard at the end of the film...I almost crapped my pants), for the most part the 3-D is used to add an extra dimension of depth to the proceedings and to create a YOU-ARE-THERE feeling to the film. It's one of the few times where the 3-D is not a waste of money and actually adds something meaningful and worthwhile to the film. So, go ahead and fook out the extra few bucks to see this baby in 3-D, trust me, you won't regret it.
On Stranger Tides is the best out of the Pirate sequels. It doesn't feel like a blatant cash grab like Dead Mans Chest (I did love Dead Mans Chest, but it doesn't feel like a complete film due to its cliffhanger ending, and having the main focus be on Sparrow, while entertaining, just didn't feel right), and it's MOUNDS better than it's god-awful predecessor At Worlds End.
Overall, while it's plot may be a bit muddied (let's be honest....no one goes to these films for the plot, they go for Jack ), On Stranger Tides still manges to bring the franchise back to its roots and is more of a stand alone film than the other sequels. It feels good to have Jack back as more of a secondary character that is more-or-less just tagging along for the ride. Fun, silly, and jaw-dropping in all the right ways; On Stranger Tides recaptures the spirit of Black Pearl while managing to stand on its own two sea legs as it's own film. It's a pretty decent sized success that is the first great film to emerge from the movie offerings of this summer.
4/5 Stars- FULL PRICE
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