Reinventing the franchise for this fourth installment, swaggering, swashbuckling rogue Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) finds romance while searching for his lost ship—the Black Pearl—and the fabled Fountain of Youth. Stranded in London without a vessel, the intrepid Sparrow crosses swords with a vivacious spitfire named Angelica (Penélope Cruz), who cleverly shanghais him onto the Queen Anne's Revenge, under the command of her evil father—legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane). After Spanish explorer Ponce de Léon discovers the legendary spring, every seaworthy ship joins the frantic race to claim it, including the one helmed by Sparrow's longtime nemesis, peg-legged Capt. Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who has strategically allied himself as a pompous privateer with England's King George. Along the way, Sparrow and his cheeky comrade (Kevin McNally) befriend a zealous missionary (Sam Clafin) and an enigmatic mermaid (Astrid Bergès-Frisbey). Comedy reigns, while iconic musician Keith Richards (Depp's model for his character) returns in a cameo as Sparrow's buccaneer dad. Inspired by Tim Powers's novel On Stranger Tides, director Rob Marshall's high-seas sequel rescues the franchise from the previous soggy, convoluted storyline, and wisely discards the Orlando Bloom/Keira Knightley subplot. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the LEGO-produced short “Captain Jack's Brick Tales” (5 min.), bloopers (3 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are an audio commentary with director Rob Marshall and executive producer John DeLuca, the “Disney Second Screen” option (with computer or iPad-accessible extras), and a bonus DVD copy of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a solid entry in the popular franchise.] (S. Granger)
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Walt Disney, 137 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.99, Blu-ray: $39.99, Nov. 15 Volume 26, Issue 6
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
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