Movie Review for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Directors: Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg
Writers:  Jeff Nathanson
Starring:  Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scoldefario
MPAA Rating: Not rated
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Hashtag: #PiratesLife

Captain Jack Sparrow searches for the trident of Poseidon.

When I was 6 years old, I went to Disney World for the very first time. I remember almost every detail about that trip, but one of the things I remember the most is going on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride over and over with my late father. I remember getting on it and telling him how cool I thought that ride was and how I wanted to do it many more times. And we did.

 Fast forward to the year 2003 when the very first Pirates of the Caribbean movie –based on the ride I so love –came out. I was ecstatic. To make it even more exciting, my favorite actor, Johnny Depp, plays one of the main characters –and now everyone’s favorite pirate. Throw in this mix Orlando Bloom as another main character and I was more than sold. What does that meme say? Shut up and take my money!

 So when I was asked to review the latest installment of this franchise, part 5 (yes, you read it right, part 5 and still going strong), I was more than happy to oblige. I will admit that I was a little nervous, though: it’s a part 5, how many more movies are they going to make? Are they going to ruin it? Will they be stretching it so far that it will finally break? And the answers are: who knows? Didn’t ruin it or break it. In fact, I think this one makes up for part 4, which I didn’t care much for –even though it was basically all about Jack. Let me explain a bit better…

 I’ve read other reviews and, as per usual, many critics give it a bad review. I’ve always said that most movie critics only give Oscar-worthy films anything close to a good review. If it’s fantasy, mythical, and/or silly, they will shred it to pieces. See, I disagree completely with that mentality. Not every single movie has to be an amazing dramatic one; there should be humor, and fantasy, imagination beyond drama. Which brings me to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which (at least all critics and I agree on this) is incredibly reminiscent to the one that started it all. From the way it begins, the way it all develops, you will be having flashbacks to it, but in a good way.

Henry Turner, Will and Elizabeth’s son, is one of the main characters and he has so much of his father in personality and physical, along with the stubbornness of his mother. Not to mention he is pretty easy on the eyes, just like his dad. He’s also a pretty good pirate and loyal to his word. He is the reason the entire plot of the movie even starts. Then we have Carina, the beautiful (and only) female lead in this movie. I love how independent, smart, and fierce she is, especially in a time when women weren’t allowed to be that way, or they’d be hung for “being a witch.” The chemistry of these two was pretty good and they add more fun to the movie.

 Then, of course, we have Captain Jack Sparrow returning for more adventure. In this movie, we have a flashback that explains how Jack becomes a Captain, of how he got his beloved possessions (his hat, the scarf he wears on his belt, and the compass, amongst other things), and why he is so hated by the brilliant Javier Bardem’s character, Captain Salazar, known as “The Butcher of the Sea”. Of course, there are a lot of one-liners and silliness brought to you by Jack, with his antics and crazy stunts that had me bent over laughing. Javier Bardem, as per usual, is brilliant (and he is amazing at being the bad guy), and quite terrifying in this movie. I loved his bad guy because he was almost unmatched. Only Jack Sparrow’s wit is what could outsmart him, and escape his deadly blows. 
 Geoffrey Rush also returns as Captain Hector Barbosa with his usual wit to be part of this wild goose chase that ensues; and we also find out a pretty big detail about his past that I cannot say anymore about as to not ruin the movie.

 All of that is all fine and dandy, but my most favorite part was the ending. This part I really can’t reveal anymore about because it’s a pretty big deal if you are a fan of the franchise, and have followed the storyline as I have. Just know that they give us a wonderful surprise that had me smiling and wanting to know more about that part of the story. I won’t lie, the post-credit scene (which is incredibly short) does hint at a part 6, but it seems to be more focused on other people for once. I say that no only because of the scene, but because what I’ve read online, it’s supposed to be Captain Jack’s “final adventure” (or something along the lines…but, to be honest, I don’t think that will be true because Johnny absolutely loves playing Jack and I don’t think he’s about to hang his pirate hat if there is another part to be filmed).

 As I said earlier, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie: I laughed a lot, had many moments in which I reminisced fondly over the first movie, and the ending had me smiling like a silly schoolgirl. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did –especially if you’re a big fan of the franchise, as I am.