"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" Film Review (IMAX 3D)
Seasick to the fourth power (Now on DVD)
4 Stars
Blog exclusive!
The previous two Pirates sequels, "Dead Man's Chest" and "At World's End," were less than stellar. "On Stranger Tides," producer Jerry Bruckheimer's latest extravaganza get's the series back on track. Returning the tongue-in-cheek humor that made "The Curse of the Black Pearl" so great and combining it with the darker thematic elements of the latter two installments "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is simply the best Pirates yet.
The biggest difference between the last installment "At World's End" and "On Stranger Tides" is the cast and crew. Trading in Keira Knightley for Oscar winning actress Penelope Cruz doesn't hurt the film one bit. In fact it's a substantial upgrade. Both women are extremely beautiful, and have exotic European flair, but Cruz is simply the better actress. While Keira Knightley fit in nicely with the likes of Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Johnny Deppp in the original trilogy she never really overcame their collective star power. As Angelica Malon, Penelope Cruz acts with pizazz, toughness and is extremely sensual at times. Cruz never holds and this is reflected in her character's personality. Angelica (Cruz) asserts herself more than Knightley's Elizabeth Swan. But it's not Knightley's fault that Cruz's character was written with a more action-oriented approach. What they both do equally well is torment Captain Jack (Depp) 24/7.
"Tides" is directed by Rob Marshall, not Gore Verbinski who directed the previous three installments. Yet there is little stylistic drop-off between the two directors. If audiences don't know any better there would have no reason to think that "On Stranger Tides" fate was placed in the hands of another man. Both directors use a lot of sets and locations to create a collective vision of a rampantly unregulated world. The 1700s is populated with scallywags and an infinite number of rum bottles in these films and both directors are successful in making the sets look the part. Yet I prefer Marshall's vision of the caribbean because he utilizes a constantly moving camera in order to keep the audience engrossed. Everything that happens onscreen is masterfully sporadic, organic and unforced.
The visual effects in "Tides" are really breathtaking to watch. In one sequence a sultry group of mermaids seduce a rowboat filled with scuffy men. The men immediately become lovestruck at the site of the angelic creatures complete with cherubic faces and shimmery scales. Through the appropriate use of 3D techniques the movies effects are really given a boost. Though "Pirates" wasn't shot in 3D like "Avatar" was (for the most part) the immaculate 2D to 3D conversion job deserves a bucket full of booty. This is no "Clash of the Titans" or "Alice in Wonderland" conversion hack job which the films were maligned for over and over again. Gone are the pop up book style visuals that were widely scorned in film released just a year ago. Though I personally liked "Alice in Wonderland 3D" I really had no other film besides "Avatar" to compare it with. I can honestly say that the picture was decidedly darker and less robust than "On Stranger Tides" and my eyes didn't bother me one bit. Dariusz Wolski's cinematography was also very naturalistic.
When "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" burst onto the scene in 2003 an instant classic was born. Though the franchise faded in recent years with the addition of two bloated sequels this new "Pirates" trimmed the unnecessary fat and went back to basics. For the first time in eight long years the fun has returned to Buena Vista Pictures' prized possession. Go see "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" set sail in a theater near you today!
"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" was written by Ted Elliot and Terry Rosario and directed by Rob Marshall.
As always thanks for reading!
©2011 Matthew R. Reis, All rights reserved.
4 Stars
Blog exclusive!
The previous two Pirates sequels, "Dead Man's Chest" and "At World's End," were less than stellar. "On Stranger Tides," producer Jerry Bruckheimer's latest extravaganza get's the series back on track. Returning the tongue-in-cheek humor that made "The Curse of the Black Pearl" so great and combining it with the darker thematic elements of the latter two installments "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is simply the best Pirates yet.
The biggest difference between the last installment "At World's End" and "On Stranger Tides" is the cast and crew. Trading in Keira Knightley for Oscar winning actress Penelope Cruz doesn't hurt the film one bit. In fact it's a substantial upgrade. Both women are extremely beautiful, and have exotic European flair, but Cruz is simply the better actress. While Keira Knightley fit in nicely with the likes of Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Johnny Deppp in the original trilogy she never really overcame their collective star power. As Angelica Malon, Penelope Cruz acts with pizazz, toughness and is extremely sensual at times. Cruz never holds and this is reflected in her character's personality. Angelica (Cruz) asserts herself more than Knightley's Elizabeth Swan. But it's not Knightley's fault that Cruz's character was written with a more action-oriented approach. What they both do equally well is torment Captain Jack (Depp) 24/7.
"Tides" is directed by Rob Marshall, not Gore Verbinski who directed the previous three installments. Yet there is little stylistic drop-off between the two directors. If audiences don't know any better there would have no reason to think that "On Stranger Tides" fate was placed in the hands of another man. Both directors use a lot of sets and locations to create a collective vision of a rampantly unregulated world. The 1700s is populated with scallywags and an infinite number of rum bottles in these films and both directors are successful in making the sets look the part. Yet I prefer Marshall's vision of the caribbean because he utilizes a constantly moving camera in order to keep the audience engrossed. Everything that happens onscreen is masterfully sporadic, organic and unforced.
The visual effects in "Tides" are really breathtaking to watch. In one sequence a sultry group of mermaids seduce a rowboat filled with scuffy men. The men immediately become lovestruck at the site of the angelic creatures complete with cherubic faces and shimmery scales. Through the appropriate use of 3D techniques the movies effects are really given a boost. Though "Pirates" wasn't shot in 3D like "Avatar" was (for the most part) the immaculate 2D to 3D conversion job deserves a bucket full of booty. This is no "Clash of the Titans" or "Alice in Wonderland" conversion hack job which the films were maligned for over and over again. Gone are the pop up book style visuals that were widely scorned in film released just a year ago. Though I personally liked "Alice in Wonderland 3D" I really had no other film besides "Avatar" to compare it with. I can honestly say that the picture was decidedly darker and less robust than "On Stranger Tides" and my eyes didn't bother me one bit. Dariusz Wolski's cinematography was also very naturalistic.
When "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" burst onto the scene in 2003 an instant classic was born. Though the franchise faded in recent years with the addition of two bloated sequels this new "Pirates" trimmed the unnecessary fat and went back to basics. For the first time in eight long years the fun has returned to Buena Vista Pictures' prized possession. Go see "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" set sail in a theater near you today!
"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" was written by Ted Elliot and Terry Rosario and directed by Rob Marshall.
Checkout the trailer below only if you like foursomes:
©2011 Matthew R. Reis, All rights reserved.
This movie pales in comparison to the first. It is not as good as the second or third either. It is bad enough that I actually had to stop watching it and take a break. It just seems cheesy to the point of being stupid. There are a few scenes that make it watchable though. The mermaid scene is really cool and reminds me of the quality of the first movie alot.
ReplyDeleteI see Sverige. Sorry you didn't care for the movie, but thanks for reading. Maybe a fifth "Pirates" movie will satisfy you!
ReplyDelete