Summary
7 tech score
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” (Walt Disney)
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” is the fifth movie in this mega-successful Disney franchise. And based upon how well this production has been handled I think it is safe to predict that Johnny Depp and company will be telling even more tales in the future. Everyone who thinks this fifth in the series must suffer from movie making fatigue is dead wrong. The actors are enthusiastic and the story is fun and thrilling. It’s as if everyone connected got a new injection of adrenaline to carry this series forward.
Of course the center of attention is Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and he doesn’t appear in the film until a segment has played out introducing us to young Henry Turner (Lewis McGowan) who is trying to locate his father Will (Orlando Bloom). Will is the subject of a curse that keeps him among the dead. Henry swears to his father that he will find a way to break the curse.
At this point the story jumps forward a decade or so and introduces us to Jack Sparrow, who is found lounging in a huge vault. He and his crew are trying to rob this impenetrable safe and this sets up a wild chase through the town streets. Around this time we are also introduced to Carina Smythe (Karina Scodelario), a young woman who is thought to be a witch but is actually a scientist.
Carina claims she knows how to locate the Trident of Poseidon, a mythical place which has the power to overcome all curses. Carina got this information from her father in a book he passed on to her. This Trident is also of interest to Henry (Brenton Thwaites) who is now a young man and is still trying to get the curse lifted from his father. Henry and Carina join forces with Jack Sparrow and hunt for the Trident while fighting off threats from a ghost pirate named Salazar (Javier Bardem) and his ally Captain Barbarossa (Geoffrey Rush).
All of this action plays out over a period of two hours and pulls the audience into the story for a rollicking good time. Depp is back to playing Sparrow with humor and enthusiasm, and showing there is no other actor in the world who could so convincingly play the part.Thwaites and Scodelario are adequate as the young couple assisting Sparrow in his adventures but the two actors pale in comparison to Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley who used to be Depp’s cohorts in crime.
The special effects in this film are amazing, and the scenery of the sea and isles is breathtaking. As the cast hops from one exotic locale to the next, all of the camerawork and costuming add to the total enjoyment. This is a rich, lush film both tale-wise and visually.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity and violence.
There is no better adventure with which to kick off the summer season than this fifth episode in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” saga. It is a film the entire family can enjoy – and make sure you stay through the credits for a peek at what might lie ahead.
I scored “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”” an aye matey 7 out of 10.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
