View it as a spin off and it's a rollicking treasure seeking adventure.
Ok lets have it out front right away, this particular writer loved the first film (Curse of the Black Pearl), was disappointed with the second (Dead Man's Chest) and positively found the third (At World's End) to be an incomprehensible bore. Part 4: On Stranger Tides is a shift in another direction, where a group of piratical characters, some we know well, others new to the fold, embark on missions to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. So think "Indiana Jones", "National Treasures" like adventures (hell even "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World") and you get the drift here. Expectation of this franchise getting back to the heady days of that first film will be crushed pretty early on.
There's a little too much going on here for it to be safe children's fare, but the adults, especially those who remember the serial silliness of adventure films of yore, will have a good time. The action set-pieces are superb, enter high speed carriage chase through London, some spiffing sword play deep in the brewery, Blackbeard (Ian McShane) using his black magic whiles to incarcerate mutineers in a whirl of maniacal ropes, and a mermaid attack that quite frankly rocks - as do the mermaids themselves the sexy vicious teasers they are.
Production is as expected top notch, and the cast, in spite of having to battle for screen time in a cast of thousands, are doing fine work (Penélope Cruz a welcome heaving bosom of spunkiness). For sure our main man Captain Jack Sparrow, with Depp just about keeping the characters charm on tap, isn't as dominating a force as we would like, but he leaves his trusty fun mark and the others (Barbosa is back drinking rum out of his newly acquired peg leg) pick up the slack. It's unlikely to get better on revisits, so if you be hardcore POTC from earlier adventures, there's no point going back to se tis one. Those who like the type of films mentioned previously, and don't mind a different direction for the series, then tis holds no fears. 7/10
