Hard to believe it's been nearly 10 years since the original Pirates of the Caribbean film sailed into theaters. That first voyage was a refreshing surprise, a rousing, humor-laced adventure anchored by Johnny Depp's unforgettable, Oscar-nominated portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow. It became a worldwide phenomenon and made sitting through that 48-year-old Disney ride cool again.
Unfortunately what followed were two tired, self-indulgent sequels, each one more vexing and overbloated than the next. (Do we really need a three-hour-long pirate movie?) So it was with great trepidation that I signed on for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. I'll be honest: the only draw was seeing a pirate movie in 3D.
On Stranger Tides, loosely suggested by fantasy writer Tim Powers' eponymous 1987 pirate novel, opens with our old friend Captain Jack (still played with a glint in his eye by Depp) attempting to "creatively" secure the release of his old first mate Gibbs ( played by Kevin McNally) before he's hanged by the British. After an elaborate escape is defused, Captain Jack is brought before King George (played by Richard Griffiths) as it's come to His Majesty's attention that Jack knows the path Ponce de Leon followed to the mythic Fountain of Youth. (Remember his magic compass from the previous films?) It seems the Spanish have mounted an expedition of their own and King George wants to beat them to it. All Jack has to do is provide the location to the king's expedition leader, someone Jack is intimately acquainted with, one Captain Barbossa (played by Geoffrey Rush).
Another elaborate escape later, this one successful, Jack begins assembling his own crew to challenge the Spanish only to learn someone else calling themself Jack Sparrow has already gotten a head start. The impostor is soon revealed to be the exotic Anjelica (played by the always-captivating Penelope Cruz), a former flame of Jack's who just so happens to be first mate to the nefarious Blackbeard (played with devilishly fun by Ian McShane). Blackbeard has his own selfish reasons for finding the fountain and soon Jack is drugged and brought aboard the zombie-crewed Queen Anne's Revenge as it makes way to intercept the Spanish and Barbossa.
Free of Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, director Gore Verbinski and the insipid trilogy storyline from the previous two films, On Stranger Tides, at a mere two hours seventeen minutes, is a much-leaner, faster-paced pirate movie. Director Rob Marshall (Chicago, Nine, Memoirs of a Geisha) is seemingly an odd choice to helm an adventure film but somehow he pulls off an engaging, enjoyable film that not only keeps you vested in the story but the characters as well. And frankly, the 3D effects make it a better film. From swords, snakes, jungle vines and mermaids, you're immersed in the pirate life like never before and it's truly a fun place to be.
While not as fresh as the original, Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides is a welcome return to form for one of cinema's most iconic characters and proves to be a great way to spend a summer afternoon.
