Smooth Sailing for the Pirates of the Caribbean Finale

*This review will contain SPOILERS for Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

In 2003, Jack Sparrow arrived in Port Royal for the first time. Now, 14 years later, we find ourselves at the end of Jack's journey.

I have to say I enjoyed the first three installments. They had an interesting story, compelling characters, and some impressive action sequences. However, I wasn't a huge fan of On Stranger Tides. I felt that Jack, as a character couldn't carry an entire film on his own. It was for this reason that I had my concerns going into Dead Men Tell No Tales, as I feared more of the same.

I am pleased to say that the series returned to its roots, where there were several subplots in addition to the main story line.

And, with that in mind, let's dive into Dead Men Tell No Tales.

The story carries two main plots: Salazar's revenge against Jack and the quest to retrieve the Trident of Poseidon, said to have the power to rule the seas AND break any curse. Subplots in the film primarily revolve around the "new" equivalents to Will and Elizabeth: Caryna Smyth, who seeks the trident from a journal, which is the only tie to her father; and Henry Turner, Will and Elizabeth's son, who seeks the trident as he believes it can lift the curse placed on Will at the end of At World's End, and allow him to return home.

While the plots are easy to follow, and the journey follows the path of the other films in the franchise, I actually like this story more than that of the past four films. They justify each character's motive, and the reason isn't a simple "We're Pirates. It's what we do" sort of mentality. 

On that topic, let's talk about character. 

We know very little about Jack and Barbosa's pasts, but in this film we learn a lot more about them. We see the day Jack becomes "Jack the Sparrow", earning his name in the defeat of Salazar in the past. We also learn much more about Barbosa. I don't want to give away the story, but there is much more to him than the skeleton captain from Curse of the Black Pearl. Now that we have this background on these characters, there is a greater connection with them, and I felt more invested during the intense moments of the film.

Joining the cast this time were Carina and Henry. And here again, we see much more development of character and buildup to the reveals and changes in the film. There is a strong chemistry between them, and you feel it grow as the film goes on. Both are likable characters, and both have their faults at times, making them interesting to watch as the film progresses.

Finally, let's talk about Salazar. I found this character interesting, and the motivations clear in his course of action. However, I wish they would have further developed his backstory a little more, especially how his curse worked. I was very perplexed by the curse, and it made it a little harder to follow him. Additionally, I felt the actor, Javier Bardem, was a little too hammy at times in his acting for the character. While the villains in the franchise are usually over the top, a part of that is because of the CGI they have to work around. Davy Jones had the octopus face, Barbosa was a skeleton a lot of the time. These extreme effects make the actor have to work harder in order for the capture to work. Salazar's effects weren't that intrusive on the character, and thus a slightly more subtle character may have been an improvement.

Overall, the visuals were remarkable to behold. If you have seen the trailer, you know Salazar's boat bends up like the house in Monster House, and the visual does not disappoint on the big screen. One of my favorite sequences, aside from the final battle in the Tomb of Poseidon, was the robbery towards the beginning. An impressive way to introduce us to Carina, and a fun joke towards Fast and the Furious, made for a great start to the film. I saw the film in 2D, and am debating seeing it again in 3D, as some of the cinematography would greatly supplement the 3D experience.

Overall, if you enjoyed the franchise so far you will definitely enjoy this journey. So set sail to the theater to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Have a film you want to see reviewed? Have you seen the film? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Click Here to read my review of Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl.

Check out the previous films by clicking the titles to watch on Amazon Video. Doing so helps out the blog.

Curse of the Black Pearl

Dead Man's Chest

At World's End

On Stranger Tides