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)

  • Sack the critic! Johnny and co did it again.Box office,record opening.

    NettaUk Thu May 26 2011
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  • like it love gemma and johnny and all his cool movies like rango

    billy james Thu May 26 2011
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  • It's the 'Royal Navy' not the 'British Navy,' for no specific reason.

    Slim Wed May 25 2011
    Rated as: 3/5
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  • Good entertaining fun. I saw POTC ! and missed 2 and 3. No it isn't as good as No.1 but it's still jolly good entertainment. No-one's pretending it's Oscar winning material. Johnny Depp is great, as ever, there are loads of laughs, and it kept me awake which is a rare feat these days. My friend and I came out of the cinema with grins on our faces, feeling like we'd had a good evening's entertainment. Ignore Time Out's cynical review. They've got a bee in their bonnet unnecessarily in this instance.

    Jo Tue May 24 2011
    Rated as: 4/5
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  • Tedious, unfunny and worst of all, boring. Depp is no longer a guarantee of quality (see The Tourist) and has clearly started doing sub-par films for the paycheque. I actually fell asleep for about 5 minutes (which I never do) so I think that says it all.

    Marsellus Mon May 23 2011
    Rated as: 1/5
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  • You are either going to love this movie or hate it, I suppose! For me personally, if I only want to be distracted for two hours or so, I will probably buy a ticket to this movie. However, if and when I am in the mood for something deeper, I will probably wait for a while and then buy a ticket to for example *The Tree Of Life* when it comes to the local cinema!

    MovieFan Sun May 22 2011
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  • Film lacks coherence, otherwise entertaining and fun, a good adventure relaxation, unless you like smart films (this is probably sheer fun, don't look for much depth here)

    Joyman Sat May 21 2011
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  • I was apprehensive about this film after the dreadful 3rd sequel but I was pleaantly surprised it certainly doesn't have the imagination or depth of the first 2 in the series but it was entertaining and I too didn't miss Knightley or Bloom one bit. thought Penelope Cruz was a great foil for JD and nearly as pretty as him! Must admit this has to be the last in the series to retain any credibility. However, great family entertainment go see and enjoy

    kaz Sat May 21 2011
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  • One man's meat,another man's poison.How do you know 'til you've seen it for yourself.Having said that I'm not a fan of sequel upon sequel.

    NettaUk Sat May 21 2011
    Rated as: 3/5
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  • Have just seen this film, thought it was ok, the plot was a bit thin and lacked a decent aim, nothing new in terms of plot from the franchise but i have to say the mermaids made this film for me, without them im not sure i would have enjoyed this film but they were spectacular and soo attractive i was glued to the screen when they were on but however the mermaids would be the only reason i would watch the film again. if your a pirates of the caribbean fan then you will probably find the hype about this film quite dissapointing and the storyline is very similar to the 2nd film (dead mans chest) as there are several different groups who are all searching for the same thing and theres a few fights. not much more to this it. 1st and 3rd film were a lot better in my opinion.

    chris Fri May 20 2011
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