Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Pirates of the Caribbean: 

Dead Men Tell No Tales

Starring Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario

Directed by Joachim Ronning & Espen Sandberg

The Story:
Young Henry Turner travels to the depths of the ocean to find his accursed father Will (Orlando Bloom) to tell him that he can free him from his curse by finding Poseidon's Trident, which can eliminate any curse set in the ocean.  Nine years later, Henry (Brenton Thwaites) is desperately searching for Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), the only man he believes can help him find the Trident.

However, Sparrow is in his own world of trouble.  He doesn't venture out to the ocean anymore, he's lost his crew, his money, and his ship, and he's reduced to bring a drunkard.  He runs into a strong-willed woman named Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) who is accused of being a witch for being an astronomer, but also holds a book that has a map no man can read - a map that leads to the Trident.  The three meet up and work together to find the Trident, as they also remain on the run from Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), a former Spanish Navy captain who was cursed by Sparrow decades earlier, trapping him in the Devil's Triangle.  Now freed, he pursues Sparrow across the vast oceans in hopes of getting his revenge.

The Synopsis:
2003's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" was a rip-roaring, swashbuckling good time that earned Depp a surprise Oscar nomination for Best Actor, and gave birth to Jack Sparrow, his most beloved and well-known character.  Three years later, "Dead Man's Chest" was also a box office success, scoring over $420 million dollars and remains the highest grossing "Pirates" movie so far.  However, when "At World's End" came out in 2007, it seemed that the franchise finally hit the skids.  It was overly long, didn't make much sense, and people were thankful after it was over.  It appeared that Sparrow's adventures were dead and gone, but then "On Stranger Tides" was released in 2011, and turned out to be the lowest grossing movie of the franchise.  Once again, it appeared that the franchise was dead, but now, seven years later, "Dead Men Tell No Tales" was released, and although it's more proof that this franchise should be shoved in Davey Jones's locker and forgotten forever, it still had its moments of brilliance and was a fun, not-so-serious story.

It's no secret Johnny Depp hasn't been the box office draw he used to be.  "Mortedecai," "Transcendence," "The Rum Diary," "Dark Shadows," "The Lone Ranger" and "Alice Through the Looking Glass" were critical and financial bombs, so he needed to provide something that would get him back in the game and earn some much-needed income.  So he dusted off his old pirate hat and once again donned the insane persona of Jack Sparrow, and it seems this movie was a direct parallel to his real life: in the movie, Sparrow is a washed-out pirate who has no ship, no crew, and is pretty much on the bottom rung of society, much like Depp's current woes both in the theater and his personal life.  Maybe that's why he played the role so perfectly once again, and remains the only sturdy compass of the series.  He's not a hero, he's not a villain; he's Captain Jack Sparrow, and Depp really knows how to let loose and have fun with him.

The film also brings back Geoffrey Rush as Sparrow's rival/ally Barbossa, and it's a welcome sight as Rush relishes in his role and gives a strong, commanding performance as a man who's got everything to loose, and also holds a dark secret that he desires to take to his grave.  Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly also reprise their roles as Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, and even though both only give cameos, they're a welcome sight to the newest film in the franchise after being gone for ten years.

"Dead Men Tell No Tales" adds the talent of two up-and-coming actors, and a seasoned vet as the big bad.   Brenton Tiwaites stars as Henry Turner, the child of Elizabeth and Will, who is searching for the Trident in order to free his father from Davey Jones's curse.  Kaya Scodelario - best known for her role in "The Maze Runner" - plays Carina Smyth, a woman who strives to achieve academic excellence in a world where women aren't even allowed to enter certain buildings, and is hunted down as a witch because of it.  It's clear that, if this installment was a financial hit, these two would serve as the new Will and Elizabeth, as both exhibit personality traits that hearken back to them, yet both are still terribly underdeveloped as characters, and serve mostly as background material for Sparrow to play off of.

Oscar winner Javier Bardem plays Captain Salazar, an eternal being cursed by Sparrow to remain in the Devil's Triangle, and who earnestly seeks revenge at all costs.  I hold to the fact that, after four movies, his name has never been uttered by Sparrow or anyone else as proving this movie wasn't ever supposed to be made, but rather was done in order to revive Depp's fledgling career.  If I had cursed someone decades ago, I surely wouldn't have forgotten about him.  Still, Bardem is a much-needed addition to the cast, and uses his natural charm and talent to portray a very bitter man bent on revenge at all costs.

The story is something that, as hinted to earlier, would've made more sense if it was introduced earlier in the franchise.  Will was cursed by Davey Jones, Sparrow's ship was turned to a ship-in-a-bottle, and all of that could've been easily solved by finding the Trident of Poseidon years ago, yet no one had that idea.  The only reason was that "it's just a myth," but that never prevented Sparrow from searching for Davey Jones's heart or the Fountain of Youth.  Again, I feel that this was an installment that was never supposed to happen, as this magical Trident would've been much sought after in any of the four previous installments.

Still, even though it's clearly a cash-grab bait to bring Depp back to the forefront, it was an enjoyable adventure that reminded me of the first film.  Thankfully, it's the shortest film of the franchise, so it doesn't waste time with ridiculous subplots or storylines, but rather dives right into the action the first moment and doesn't let go until the end.  That, mixed with Depp's naturally charismatic performance, saved the movie from the depths of the ocean, even if it's nothing big to write home about.

The Summary:
Clearly a film that was never intended to be made, "Dead Men Tell No Tales" nonetheless managed to use Johnny Depp's charisma and charm to make Jack Sparrow a lovable anti-hero again, filled with swashbuckling action and many laughs throughout, even if it's nothing spectacular.

The Score: B