The fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, subtitled as either Dead Men Tell No Tales or Salazar’s Revenge, follows a down-on-his-luck
Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) being hunted by the vengeful, pirate-hating
Spanish Navy Captain Armando Salazar (Javier Bardem), who along with his crew
and ship had clashed with a young Jack many years ago, which resulted to them
being turned into ghosts and trapped in the Devil’s Triangle. But having finally escaped, Salazar is
determined to kill Jack along with every single pirate in the seas. The only way Jack can ever defeat the undead
Salazar is if he gets his hands on the mythical Trident of Poseidon. And in order to so, he must team up with
Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites), son of former allies Will Turner (Orlando
Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightly), and Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario),
an astronomer/horologist who is frequently accused of witchcraft due to her
intelligence. Meanwhile, Captain Hector
Barbosa (Geoffrey Rush), to save his pirate business, is forced to aid Salazar in searching for Jack.
At this point, with five movies
under its belt, you would have been familiar already with what this franchise
has to offer, and either you are a fan or not.
If you enjoyed the previous Pirates
of the Caribbean movies, you will most likely enjoy Dead Men Tell No Tales (or Salazar’s
Revenge). If you disliked the
previous films (as most film critics do),
you will probably dislike it, too.
As for me, I belong to the former
category. I acknowledge that these
movies tend to get dumb, convoluted, superfluous, and muddled. But I find them a lot of fun, too. For me, the appeal of Jack Sparrow persona never
wears off. He’s an extremely likable
scoundrel, and this alone is almost enough to make every Pirates movie worth it. I’m
also very fond of Hector Barbosa, as he goes back and forth being Jack’s foe and ally (thus, I’m somewhat glad of his significant part in this movie). Furthermore, despite how many times these
movies succumb to nonsensical plotlines and convenient plot devices and conveniences,
there’s just something lovable about the franchise’s distinctive brand of worldbuilding,
spectacles, physical comedy, and sense of adventure. Plus, it has one of the best movie themes of
all time. I can’t help finding these movies
very entertaining.
Thus, Dead Men Tell No Tales (or Salazar’s
Revenge) entertained me much. It’s a
Pirates of the Caribbean movie
through and through – meaning, it has everything that people love and hate about
these movies. So, again, whatever your
previous perception about the franchise, that would likely reflect what you
think of this movie.
I do have some problems with
it. The pacing kind of dragged at some
parts. And its plot is the kind where
you will immediately find details to nitpick left and right whenever you start
to pause and think. Here’s one off the
top of my head: within the context of its plot and world, there’s simply no
reason why Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann shouldn’t have had bigger roles in
the story. Retrieving the Trident and
fighting Salazar would have been a cinch if Will and the Flying Dutchman were
around. Another one: weren’t undead
villains already used in the first movie?
But, again, these simply come with the territory of a Pirates movie. Besides, negative reflections only bother for a while as the narrative immediately throws something so fun to compensate – like guillotine gags and ghost sharks.
Overall, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (or Salazar’s Revenge) won’t change what you already feel about this franchise. Just like its predecessors, I think it’s a flawed but enjoyable movie.
This is supposedly the last film of the series, but I do wish there will be another one.
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