Like every movie before it, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is all about great CGI and eccentric characters. You should only watch it for these.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Synopsis
After the events of At World’s End, 12-year-old Henry Turner descends into the ocean to tell his father, Will Turner, that he believes the Trident of Poseidon is able to break the curse of the Flying Dutchman. Nine years later, Henry encounters the cursed form of Spanish Captain Armando Salazar in the Devil’s Triangle, and is forced by the latter to deliver a message to Jack Sparrow. Meanwhile, Jack has been abandoned by the remnants of his crew, and in despondency, trades away his magical compass for a drink. He then encounters Henry Turner and Carina Smyth, the latter a young scientist accused of witchcraft. Together, the trio sets sail to find Poseidon’s trident. At the same time, Salazar escapes from the Devil’s Triangle and terrorises the seas in his quest for vengeance against Jack Sparrow.
Snappy Review
Don’t scoff. Believe me when I say I know of the perfect way to enjoy any Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
The formula comes in just one sentence. Switch on and off at will. Switch off when the movies try to tell the story. Switch on, and cheer, when the action begins and the CGI effects get fanciful.
Do these and chances are, you’d enjoy every single Pirates of the Caribbean episode. In the case of Dead Men Tell No Tales, I’d say you might even love it. You might also consider it to be the best instalment since 2006’s Dead Men’s Chest.
I say this because Dead Men Tell No Tales, like every PotC episode before it, is all about awesome CGI and quirky caricatures. There is some sort of a story stringing everything together, but even the most disinterested viewer would soon realise every event is but an excuse to bring back a previous character.
In a way, this is tragic, for the quest to free Will Turner promises so much more emotional depth, compared to just another swashbuckling adventure.
But like what I suggested earlier, switch off. Disregard the story and the implausible coincidences at every other turn, and focus on just enjoying the action scenes. These, objectively speaking, are imaginative, well-choreographed, and full of nautical flavour.
Needless to say, Jack Sparrow is also his usual eccentric, irreverent self. He’s a little down on his spirits throughout the whole movie, but like always, not in the least bit short on charm.
Click here to view the trailer.
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