Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

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Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) teams up with Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites), the son of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, and young astronomer Carina Smyth (Kaya Scoledario) to find the trident of Poseidon. They are being chased by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and Salazar (Javier Bardem), the ghost of a Spanish captain who wants revenge on Jack for killing him years ago. For the most part, the performances work. Johnny Depp is clearly still having a blast playing Jack Sparrow. Barbossa is given some unexpected humanity and heart in this movie. Geoffrey Rush plays it to a tee. Franchise newcomer Kaya Scoledario is the probably the standout, though. Her character helps represent what was, at that point, a changing time. Javier Bardem delivers a hammy-but entertaining villain performance. Brenton Thwaites is not an actor I am a huge fan of, and this movie didn’t really change my perception of him. He never comes off as very charming, memorable, or charismatic. It feels like he’s just kind of there. The action sequences are generally pretty entertaining, even if they can feel a bit more slap sticky than really should. The movie does meander at points. There’s an old man who offers exposition that really isn’t necessary to the movie. It immediately struck me as off. At a point, Jack, Henry, and Carina are captured. Then there’s a wedding that is supposed to happen. My only question is: Why? The stuff before the wedding scene felt like it needed to be there. The stuff after felt like needed to be there. The wedding itself felt completely tangential. Overall, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales offers an entertaining enough entry into the franchise. Is it as good the first film? No. But, I do think it’s the best sequel since the third movie.

6 / 10