Six years on from Rob Marshall's 'On Stranger Tides', the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' returns to screens under the stewardship of 2012's 'Kon-Tiki' directors, Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning as well as the scribe of the upcoming Lion King remake, Jeff Nathanson. While the box office has been more than healthy, there has been a growing apathy towards both the series and Johnny Depp as an action star (look at the misfortunes of 'The Lone Ranger,' 'Through the Looking Glass' and 'Mortdecai').
In 'Dead Men Tell No Tales' (AKA 'Salazar's Revenge' in certain territories), Will Turner's son Henry seeks to break the Flying Dutchman's curse and so looks for the fabled Trident of Poseidon.
He runs foul of the cursed mariner and Pirate Destroyer, Captain Salazar, who seeks revenge upon the one and only Jack Sparrow. Now, Henry and Jack must team up and find the trident, lest the dead rule the seas.
Jack Sparrow returns to the screen
Johnny Depp returns as everyone's (well, almost) favourite drunken scallywag, and puts in a capable showing once again. However, his material seems more diminished compared to other outings: whereas the Jack of previous movies used his odd swagger to hide a wily and cunning mind, this Jack just feels more like a gag machine, whose moments of brilliance feel more circumstantial than calculated. Javier Bardem has a ball as the undead Salazar, whose wheezy, haggard demeanour, aided by some great CG, hides an underlying rage that is very menacing.
A number of other old faces return, like Geoffrey Rush's Barbossa, Kevin McNally's Gibbs and brief appearances from Orlando and Keira as Will and Elizabeth. Geoffrey gets the most meat out of anyone, as well as the closest to an arc, and does well with his trademark bluster. Newcomers Brenton Thwaites and Kaya Scolderio acquit themselves decently as Henry and astronomer/suspected witch Carina, sharing a capable chemistry but do feel like a reheat of Will and Elizabeth from the original trilogy.
This 'Pirates' ends up being more silver than gold
Indeed, while still delivering on the requisite one-liners, action and treasure hunting, there is just a sense of 'better days' about 'Dead Men Tell No Tales.': Nathanson's screenplay feels wonky in structure, with a slightly flabby first act and then a constantly moving, but somewhat meandering and doddery, second.
While opting for a pursuit-style of storytelling always ensures the film is progressing, it also means that we get several infodumps that do dilute some of the adventure's urgency.
Add to that, while Sandberg and Rønning direct a very sleek and colourful looking film, the moments of Keaton-esque comic action that defined previous installments seems more limited. Highlights like the sublime guillotine scene or the literal bank robbery in the first portion are in short supply, metered out by more conventional chases and swordfights that lack the inventive qualities of Gore Verbinski's direction from the original films, or even 'Lone Ranger'.
In the end, the fifth 'Pirates of the Caribbean' feels like just an another sequel, rather than a clever shot of newfound life and energy.
It's a satisfying enough family adventure, with some solid spectacle, competent cast and treats for longtime fans, but it just feels pedestrian and safe. If there's to be a sixth installment, I hope for something matching the personality and creativity of the original.
