Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

When it’s over, do we really need another Pirates of the Caribbean?  I’m a fan of Johnny Depp, but I think it’s hide tide he hung up the Jack Sparrow hat.  In this fourth instalment, Jack and Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) team up to find the Fountain of Youth, but little do they know that Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and his daughter (Penelope Cruz) are also after the same treasure.  On the journey, Jack encounters deadly mermaids, a woman from his past, and enough waves to shift his tide.  There are a few laughs and some good jokes, but overall, the whole series is getting redundant and stale.  If the producers were looking to re-invent the series, which was evident they were trying to do by introducing new cast mates, then, they should literally re-invent it.  Instead of having Jack do the same things using the same devices (ex: the compass), why not give Jack some new toys and a new mission.  Why not have Jack time travel?  Imagine the possibilities in that.  Searching for the fountain of youth has been the focus of so many films in the past, so why not put a new twist on it and raise the stakes by making the fountain precious and cursed at the same time by adding elements such as an eternal imprisonment for the one who drinks from the sacred water or immortal guardians who protect the fountain at all costs and must be destroyed before getting access to the fountain.  I especially liked the introduction of the mermaids, which added a new layer of intrigue, so at the end of the film, I found myself asking, what happened to the mermaid and her man?  All I saw were two mermaids swimming in the shadows.  Was I to assume that this was Philip (Sam Claflin), the clergyman, and the mermaid he befriends?  Their small love story served to be the only fresh thing about the film, but their conclusion left unanswered questions, adding to the overall disappointment factor.  

My rating:  2.5 out of 5