Review, Theatrical

Time for a Reel PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES review

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales review

Rough seas ahead matey. You’ve been warned early on. Johnny Depp is back for a fifth time as the swashbuckling, rum guzzling Jack Sparrow. Just how much more of this story will audiences pay top dollar to explore?

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) has been the one constant for each of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and, if rumors are to be believed, this may be the last time he dons the costume (random unannounced appearances at Disney theme parks excluded). Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales looks to go on one more adventure while also bringing several sub-stories to their fitting conclusion.

The search is on for the trident of Poseidon with many obstacles lying in its path. In a shift to a new generation, Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) ends up aligned with Sparrow in this latest adventure. If the name Turner sounds vaguely familiar, top marks for you because it happens to be the same as Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), who is Henry’s father. Henry is all about finding a way to bring his dear father back from his curse into his rightful place with his family. As always, this path will be filled with danger and excitement. Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) returns while the main “bad guy” focus falls on Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) who has quite the ax to grind with Sparrow.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is truly a testament to the “been there, done that” type of feeling. The entire time watching events unfold all I could do was wonder, “have I seen this before?” There’s not much in the way of creative thinking so it kind of just drums along. There are times that you will feel entertained but if you’re a not a big fan of the franchise, you’ll probably come away slightly disappointed. Had this been the first…or second or even the third movie for that matter, it might have felt fresher and more lively. Audiences will see everything coming from a mile away so there’s no real intrigue here.

The acting is decent but there’s nothing very memorable about what you’re getting. The action is middle of the road and the 3D effects are just okay. Co-directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg needed to take some risks and maybe turn up the notch a little. Instead the pair played it safe and it shows in the uninspiring final product. Javier Bardem may have been about the most refreshing thing about this movie and that isn’t saying too much.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is a long walk off of a short plank. With a 129 minute runtime and only about 80 to 90 minutes of that actually needed, your time could definitely be invested elsewhere. Still, if you’re planning on checking it out, you can find it in theaters right now and you might as well sit through the credits to get every piece of treasure being offered.

The Reel Godfather's Final Judgement

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1 Comment

  1. 2.5/5 so I’ll round up to 3 for your site. I agree … everyone’s saying it’s fantastic but I thought the previous 4 installments were much better.

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