Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (12A)

Film

Period and swashbuckler films

Time Out rating:

<strong>Rating: </strong>1/5

User ratings:

<strong>Rating: </strong>3/5
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Time Out says

Sat May 14 2011

Far be it for us to accuse the Walt Disney company of making a fourth ‘Pirates’ movie strictly for the money. But the experience of sitting through this latest flogged cash cow in the already overexposed comedy adventure series feels more like tracking stock figures than watching a piece of family entertainment. Every frame feels laboured, every gag tired, every action set piece familiar, every performance phoned in.

Johnny Depp is back in the headscarf and eyeliner as Captain Jack Sparrow, whose search for the Fountain of Youth has foundered for no specific reason. Finding himself in London for no specific reason, he soon falls in with ex-lover Angelica (Penélope Cruz), who is masquerading as Sparrow for no specific reason. Together they set off for the fountain, pursued by Geoffrey Rush’s peg-legged Barbossa, who has joined the British navy for no specific reason.

‘On Stranger Tides’ is a film which seems so loaded with contempt for its audience that it expects us not to notice or care that the characters have no clear motivation, that entire scenes have no reason for existing and that for much of the film we don’t even know what continent we’re on. It’s a film where our heroes can escape a trap by simply pulling a lever and dropping through the floor, where a character can dive into a hole in the ground and pop up in an entirely different part of the story. A film, in other words, without tension, momentum or resonance.

For some, this may be a step up from the wilful psychedelic idiocy of ‘At World’s End’, the previous film in the series. But at least that had imagination: ‘On Stranger Tides’ is simply lifeless, a reductive, insulting moneymaking exercise with as much charm and depth as a slot machine.

Author: Tom Huddleston

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Release details

Rated:

12A

UK release:

Wed May 18 2011

Duration:

137 mins

Cast and crew

Cast:

Ian McShane, Johnny Depp, Richard Griffiths, Keith Richards, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Gemma Ward, Stephen Graham, Geoffrey Rush

Director:

Rob Marshall

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Comments & ratings

Rated as: 3/5 (13 ratings)

  • SHIT AHOY !!!!!!

    rogerrabbit Sun Sep 9 2012
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  • Real brain power on dsiaply. Thanks for that answer!

    Real brain power on dsiap Tue Jan 24 2012
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  • Whoa, whoa, get out the way with that good ifnromation.

    Whoa, whoa, get out the w Mon Aug 22 2011
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  • Sack the critic, how can you be a film critic and hate films so much? Sort it out Mr. H, life's not that bad!

    fingers Wed Jun 29 2011
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  • Shame, Disney should have been satisfied with 1 & 2, 3 was far fetched and tedious & 4 was downright awful. Johhny Depp doing the same things yet again with a worn out script and tired samey antics. I can only hope he bows out now and doesnt get involved in a muted POTC 5, which would stereotype him ( wrongly) forever. Dont waste your money.

    Acole Sat Jun 25 2011
    Rated as: 1/5
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  • Johnny Depp brought the first POTC alive with the originality and scene-stealing charisma of his character, but now we're so familiar with it, his Sparrow schtick isn't really what this film needs to make it work. Geoffrey Rush nailed it as peg-leg Barbossa and was the best thing in the film for me, delivering exactly what a lame comedy-adventure-fantasy script needs to make it engaging for over two hours. Maybe he should have directed it?! or chosen the rest of the cast. Keith Richards' cameo was an irrelevant conceit: Jackie Chan and Jim Carrey, however, could have fitted in nicely and perked it up a bit...

    cryogenyx Wed Jun 15 2011
    Rated as: 1/5
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  • To Scott.For those of us who enjoyed PotC4,I'm sure no one could have put it better,and you reiterate my thoughts on the "crtic"(?!).

    NettaUk Thu Jun 9 2011
    Rated as: 4/5
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  • in the minority again mr Huddlestone--------why do you hate movies so much?? its such a shame-- every one has an opinion for sure,,but to have a job that by its very definition determines that you must 'criticise' a movie(critic) leaves you disecting scenes and plots and characters---and in a Disney film !!!!!???? while the rest of us kick back ,munch our snacks and take in the experience--- just lighten up man--this is a pirate film !!!!! not the watergate scandal !!!!! those of you out there who go to the cinema to escape will enjoy this fun piece of cinema for what it is--MR H????? I empathise--when your passion becomes your job it sanotises the pleasure I'm afraid !!!!

    scott Thu Jun 9 2011
    Rated as: 4/5
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  • Its just amazing Its Better than The first three movies of the pirates

    Sahil Nain Sun May 29 2011
    Rated as: 5/5
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  • I quite enjoyed this - it's much better than 2 or 3. The CGI in the last two spoiled them, and there's not so much of it here (or maybe they've just perfected it). But I saw the 2D version, and noticed that there were a lot of aerial shots flying over forests and precipices, and I thought they'd added them in for the 3D showings. I'm sort of fed up of 3D, and it annoyed me that live action films (that don't actually work very well in 3D) are being made with 3D scenes built in. All that happens in 3D live action movies is they look a bit dull, because the glasses are dark. I've only seen maybe three really good live action 3D movies - Superman Returns and a couple of Harry Potters, which I saw on an IMAX screen. You really felt you could reach out and touch the characters. Anyway 3D rant aside, I thought this was entertaining and what you'd expect from this kind of film.

    quite happy filmgoer Fri May 27 2011
    Rated as: 3/5
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