Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stanger Tides
Jack Sparrow…Captain Jack Sparrow…is at it again, only this time he’s after the Fountain of Youth. Jack finds himself stumbling paths with a cunning woman (Penelope Cruz) from his past. Was it love or awe Jack experienced? He doesn’t have time to think too long on it before he is forced upon the ship of the most fearsome pirated of the 7 seas, Blackbeard (Ian McShane.) Sparrow is forced to lead the way on an epic adventure encountering, betraying twists, devious turns, zombies, and mermaids?!
On Stranger Tides unsurprisingly does not drop the ball on the much loved Pirate films. Depp is back with his outstanding acting as Captain Jack Sparrow. That man is pure generous and not to mention hilarious wobbling around and skillfully evading any type of jam he could possibly get himself into. I can’t think of a more beloved character than Captain Jack Sparrow. He is just a ton of fun. Depp delivers his lines so well you actually believe he is the slightly deranged Sparrow!
The action in this film is utterly outstanding. The choreography for all the action scenes is beyond thrilling. I’m really impressed by the flow of it all. It’s sheer entertainment at its very best. There are no boring parts in this film. Every second of it is outstanding. I will admit when I originally saw the film in 3D I was a little disappointed, then again I had a headache 10 minutes into it and had a horrible time concentrated on the then thought to be chaos. Now, after watching it again, headache free, I have absolutely no idea what I was thinking? I loved it as much as the others, if not a little more. Jack is after all my favorite character and seeing as he was the highlight of this film and not the ongoing love story of Will and Elizabeth, I found it incredibly enjoyable.
While most of the acting was superb I found Penelope Cruz (Angelica) not quite as endearing as the rest of the characters. She was lacking the pizazz needed to be a pirate. While she was incredibly ruthless and almost as cunning as Jack she lacked the chemistry with Depp. The acted very well together, but the natural chemistry just seemed to be lacking a bit. They still may a pretty good pair in the end just not as good as could have been.
Ian McShane made a great Blackbeard. He, like Depp, seemed to have a good time with it. Geoffrey Rush (Barbossa) was as in all the Pirate films, fantastic. He has really grown into his character well. He and Depp have an outstanding chemistry. They both make outstanding pirates. Gibbs, Kevin McNally, is also a favorite. He does an outstanding job as well. All of the new additions were nothing short of top notch. Sam Clalfin and Astrid Bergès-Frisbey were especially enjoyable.
Disney blu-rays never cease to amaze me when it comes to quality. Their films are incredibly beautiful and this one was no different. The quality of picture and sound were immaculate. You couldn’t ask for a cleaner picture or clearer sound. It makes the films all the more enjoyable. The music was wonderful. Hans Zimmer is a masterful at what he does. All of the Pirates soundtracks have been outstanding. That just makes one more thing Disney is outstanding at.
Special Features
Disc 1
– Blu-ray Feature Film (1080p High Definition 2.40:1) (English, French, Spanish 7.1 DTS-HD HR) (English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital) + Bonus
-Disney Second Screen- Simultaneously explore exclusive interactive content with your iPad™ or computer as you watch the movie
-Audio Commentary with Director Rob Marshall and Executive Producer John Deluca
-Bloopers of the Caribbean
-LEGO® Animated Shorts: Captain Jack’s Brick Tales
Disc 2
– DVD +Bonus
-Bloopers of the Caribbean
-LEGO® Animated Shorts: Captain Jack’s Brick Tales
As far as special features go I wasn’t impressed. The Disney Second Screen is a really cool concept but you need and iPad™ or computer to use it. I always enjoy the pop up interactive screens during the movie personally. I understand why they would limit second screen options, but at the same time I’m a little disappointed. The bloopers were alright. Depp is by far the most comedic character in them. The LEGO® Animations were just that, short animations. They are definitely geared for a younger audience. There is nothing incredibly special about them. The commentary is always a plus. It gives you a behind the scenes thought process of the director and producer. As I said before I’m just not incredibly impressed by the bonus features in this combo.