Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
- Jun 1, 2017
- 3 min read
I am well aware of the saying, "No one has ever been fired for greenlighting a sequel.” But this one really begs the question of who really wanted to see this? The history of pirates as they exist in Pirates of the Caribbean lasted for less than two decades, yet the story of these films has already stretched out longer than the history the movies are based on. Here we are again, on a search to find a myth to build a movie for Johnny Depp to act strange in… With that kind of lead up it is tough to believe that this movie does has some redeeming qualities, however Dead Men Tell No Tales does find some redemption in its embrace of the family that started it all. In the previous Pirates movie, On Stranger Tides, the Johnny Depp show became painful to watch. What was once interesting, or at least amusing, to watch felt less than phoned in. Fortunately, in Dead Men Tell No Tales, Captain Jack Sparrow has regained some of his former spunk. The same can be said about the rest of the cast as well. Every character in the movie is much more engaged in what is taking place even when it is laughably strange. The story being centered on family bonds and redemption takes a page from the Fast and Furious Universe and it serves as good motivation for the characters. One of the strengths of the original Pirates trilogy was when Depp, Bloom, and Knightley were on screen together. Dead Men Tell No Tales does not find as much success as that first trio did but Depp, Thwaites, and Scodelario do have some fun. Unfortunately the one thing I most looked forward to in this movie was somewhat of a let down. Javier Bardem in Skyfall continues to haunt me to this day. Knowing that he was the main antagonist of Dead Men Tell No Tales sounded like it could be a great match, but this ultimately fails. The Pirates Saga treads a fine line between being too dark for younger audiences and having enough humor to balance it out. Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa in the Curse of the Black Pearl walked the line perfectly. He struck fear into Knightley at the right times, but also showed his human nature and desire for redemption when appropriate. Captain Salazar (Bardem) has a backstory which makes him see himself as the “good guy” who was wronged by Captain Sparrow but the rage stirred in Salazar makes this ultimately uninteresting. The plot of revenge only weakens Salazar and the story overall. Other characters respond to him as though he is a force of nature, yet when we actually see him, he is just an angry guy out for revenge. The goods and the bads of the movie do not fully balance out and sadly there is a post credits scene that promises us still more Pirate adventures but the movie is decidedly fun. The first act does not do enough to prove that this movie needs to exist, but the second and third provide enough laughs and action to make it a good escape from the summer heat. If more had been given for Bardem to work with or some of the first act had been tuned up this might even stand up as being close to the original Curse of the Black Pearl. Sadly that does not happen here. Captain Jack Sparrow is no dead man and the tales will continue. 6.7/10
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