Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

release year: 2011
genre: pirate action/adventure
viewing setting: home streaming 5/20/22

synopsis: Multiple groups race to find the mythical Fountain of Youth.

impressions: This fourth entry in the series lacked a number of the major characters from before, and introduced some new ones: Blackbeard himself, plus his daughter. Overall, it had a lot of good sets, costumes, and action (like the previous movies) but I'm not sure it was up to their level.

acting: Johnny Depp is back, and the character hasn't changed much - I wouldn't trust him under any circumstance. Geoffrey Rush also returns as another veteran pirate captain. Ditto Kevin McNally as the trusted first mate. Ian McShane debuts as the ruthless Blackbeard, who also has a magical sword/ship/powers. Penelope Cruz is his pirate daughter and an ex of Jack Sparrow. Sam Claflin is a young idealistic missionary. Astrid Berges-Frisbey is a mermaid.

final word: Good pirate adventure, but doesn't match up to the first trilogy.

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