'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' Movie Review

Hello, fellow moviegoers!
   Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg. It stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, and Javier Bardem. It follows Captain Jack Sparrow once again in his misadventures on the high seas. This time, Jack is searching for a legendary item known as the Trident of Poseidon in an attempt to stop the undead Captain Salazar and his crew from exacting their revenge on him.

   I would like to start by saying that, unlike most critics out there, I'm a pretty big fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Growing up, the first three were a trilogy that I found myself watching over and over again. As a result of this, I have a lot of nostalgia surrounding those movies (except for the fourth one which I wasn't a big fan of). Recently, I rewatched the first three, and though the first one is the best by far, I thought the second two were still pretty enjoyable. 
   This fifth Pirates movie has some really good moments in it, more in line with the kind found in the first film. Despite this, the film does seem to run into some of the same issues that the fourth one did. For every really good moment, there's an overly silly one to balance it out. This back and forth is most evident in Depp's performance as Jack Sparrow. At times, he seems to really be getting back to the Jack of the first film, the Jack that got him an Oscar nomination. However, there are many moments where it really feels like Johnny Depp playing his kooky Johnny Depp character that we see in almost all of his films now. At times, he feels like more of a drunk Mad Hatter than Captain Jack Sparrow. 
   The most surprising thing about this film was the new cast. The additions of Brenton Thwaites as Will Turner's son, Henry, and Kaya Scodelario as Carina Smyth were actually really good ones. The gave decent performances and had some chemistry together. I was afraid these two were going to be like the mermaid and the other dude from the fourth movie (the fact that I don't remember their names shows how forgettable they were). I was pleasantly surprised by how interesting their characters were. Unlike the young characters of the previous installment, I'm actually a little interested to see where these characters go in the future. 
   By far the best thing about this new Pirates of the Caribbean was also the most underutilized thing, and that was Javier Bardem as Captain Salazar. Bardem gave a very good performance as the villainous ghost pirate in this movie, but he didn't have a whole lot to do. His character felt sort-of forced into the film to make sure it had an antagonist. The plot involving him chasing Jack felt entirely separate from the rest of the movie, which is odd considering that should've been the movie. When Bardem is on screen in this movie, it almost feels like a pirate horror film. There is a lot that they easily could've done with his character to make him more compelling, but unfortunately, they sacrificed that time for more silly laughs with Jack Sparrow. 
   For the most part, this film was good, not great. However, it finishes really strong. I would argue that the last fifteen minutes or so of this movie is the best part of the movie. Surprisingly enough, I actually got a little emotional in one scene towards the end of this movie. If they can make future films in this franchise (because there will undoubtedly be more) feel more like the end of this movie, then we could be in store for some more really great Pirates movies.
   Overall, I thought Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales was pretty good, but it wasn't amazing by any means. It wasn't as good as the first three, but it was undoubtedly better than the franchise's fourth outing On Stranger Tides. The new additions to the franchise actually worked surprisingly well, and I'm curious to see where they will go moving forward. Johnny Depp has great and not-so-great moments as Captain Jack, and that was indicative of the film as a whole. If you're a fan of the Pirates franchise (like I am) I'd recommend this one. If you weren't a fan of any of them but the first, this isn't going to be the one that brings you back on board. 

6.5/10

​   So what did you think of the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean? Would you want to see a sixth one? Let me know by commenting on this post! Also, if you enjoyed this review, share it on Facebook and Twitter. It really helps! Don't forget, I post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so check back then for more movie reviews and other miscellaneous movie thoughts!

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