Warning: spoilers ahead.
On May 26th, 2017, the 5th installment of the beloved swashbuckling franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean, set sail in theaters for audiences and garnered, to my surprise, overwhelmingly negative reviews. Being a fan of the series since its 2003 premiere with "The Curse of the Black Pearl", and seeing and thoroughly enjoying every subsequent film after it, reading such abysmal reactions was upsetting. Yet after seeing the film twice now, it's obvious that not only are critics biased to a certain kind of review when it comes to a 4th sequel, but most make the mistake of reviewing the wrong components in a film of this scope.
In "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales", a down on his luck Captain Jack Sparrow finds himself on a mission to hunt down the Trident of Poseidon in the company of series newcomers Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) and Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) and once again finds himself being hunted down by a new and completely terrifying adversary, Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem).
Since the release of the 4th installment "On Stranger Tides" back in 2011, audiences were eager to see their favorite Captain back on screen, interacting with old favorites and newcomers. While this film certainly meets those requirements, the most reoccurring criticism seems to be that Johnny Depp's signature character is, after 14 years, washed up and in desperate need of retirement. Granted, within 10 minutes of Captain Jack being on screen, it becomes increasingly clear that this particular portrayal is unlike previous films in that Depp is almost solely used for comedic relief, practically stumbling through the events of the movie with virtually no control of his surroundings. While this can be a fairly valid criticism towards writer Jeff Nathanson, new directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, and maybe even Depp himself, it can also be an accurate representation of where Jack, as a character, is at in his life as a pirate, which can be described as unlucky, and almost always drunk. Also, given that this film supposedly takes place five years after the events of the 4th film, variance to Captain Jack's character should be expected.
From the beginning to end, this film is filled to the brim with captivating visual effects, cinematography, and action sequences. To its credit: "Dead Men Tell No Tales" does correct the mistake the 4th film made by demoting Jack back to being a supporting character, rather than a leading one. In the original trilogy, Will and Elizabeth served as both our main protagonists and a contrast to Jack's flamboyant behavior; whereas in the 4th film, Jack is undeniably our main character and the story is weaker for it. While we have this reset of character priority, nothing is lost in terms of character dynamic with the return of familiar series favorites like Geoffrey Rush's Caption Barbossa, Joshamee Gibbs played by Kevin McNally, and the brief return of Orlando Bloom's Will Turner and Kiera Knightley's Elizabeth Swann.
Another common opinion among reviewers is that Javier Bardem's portrayal of the ghostly Captain Salazar is a highlight of this film, and I must wholeheartedly agree. Much like Bill Nighy's portrayal of Davy Jones in previous films, Bardem succeeds in bringing realism, depth, and humanity to a character that's almost entirely computer generated, an obstacle most actors have trouble working with. In addition, Salazar as an adversary for our protagonists is unrivaled in his unpredictability and influence on the story. One scene, in particular, depicts Salazar's ruthlessness, as he negotiates with Barbossa to find Jack while simultaneously killing members of the former's crew.
The development of our Will and Elizabeth counterparts Henry Turner and Carina Smyth as not only independent characters but also as the romantic focal point of the film is surprisingly well done and convincing. Henry is hell bent on finding the Trident to free his father (Will Turner) from the curse of the Flying Dutchman is a perfect match with Carina, who is continuously mistaken for a witch throughout the film due to her high intelligence, wants to find the Trident for her own (unclear) purposes. While anyone familiar to the Hollywood formula could easily predict these two characters would end up together, their romantic involvement is unconventional and defies certain romantic tropes you often see with films such as these.
Being an aspiring film composer, it would be in bad faith not to mention Geoff Zanelli for his highly faithful, yet still original and innovative score for this film. For those who don't know, Hans Zimmer is credited with supplying themes for the first film, and officially scoring the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th film. This time around, the mantel has been passed to Zanelli, an obvious choice for the job given that he has served as an assistant composer for Zimmer since day one and is familiar with the composition and orchestration of the familiar "Pirates" sound that is so ingrained in this series. Despite all the pre-existing music from previous films, Zanelli not only managed to bring back musical themes and motifs we've all come to know and love but also managed to bring original content to the table such as a gritty and overly-distorted theme for Salazar and a longing, a heavily melodic theme for Carina. The soundtrack is available for purchase on iTunes and Google Play.
While the movie occasionally suffers from unnecessary events and an overstuffed plot (which critics are eager to focus on alone), "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" is a wickedly enjoyable film and a welcome addition to the Pirates lore. Although the trailer markets this film as the "final adventure" for Captain Jack, the end credits scene could very well be setting us up for an exciting sixth installment, and the possible return of an old adversary...
