Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides:

Uncovering the fountain of youth

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

Barbossa, Angelica, Sparrow and Blackbeard

Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Hector Barbossa

Cinema’s shrewdest pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow, has returned in Rob Marshall’s Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. In this fourth chapter of the Pirates series, Sparrow takes on the venture of uncovering the legendary fountain of eternal youth.

After escaping the hangman’s noose in Ye Olde London by impersonating the judge, Sparrow then ends up causing confusions while on the run pursued by horsemen. Back in safety, he is confronted with an old flame, the fiery buccaneer Angelica. Soon Sparrow is roped into a hunt for the fountain of youth. Angelica steals him abroad a ship a and they set sail with the terrifying Blackbeard - who she claims is her father.

They are not alone in their chase. The King of Spain and the King of England send troops in pursuit of the fountain, each enraged at the thought of the other getting their hands on such an valuable possession. George II engages a notorious rival pirate, Barbossa, to lead the English troop. Some hilarious incidents such as the escape from the Spanish troupes, Sparrow’s growing anxiety about Angelica’s safety and the fact the nobody seems to lay their trust on Sparrow follow, adding to the merriment.

A newly added feature of the fourth Pirates movie is its focus on mermaids. These mythical creatures are presented in a manner which both enchants the audience as well as makes them stark with horror at the hidden danger lying beneath the beauty. Some visually superb scenes such as the escape from King George’s court, the beautiful but deadly mermaids flocking round the enchanted pirate crew and the scenes of discovering the entrance to the fountain are also included.

The movie had already made history as it crossed the $1 Billion mark in worldwide box-office earnings. It’s now the eighth film in history to gross over $1 Billion and the second film in the Pirates series to do so. These facts are evidence of the effectiveness of Johnny Depp in the absence of Keira Knightly and Orlando Bloom, who played key roles opposite him in the first three parts of the series. Smirking, wincing, deceptive and donning his trademark hoop earrings, gold teeth, soiled bandana and kohl-rimmed eyes, Sparrow never ceased to delight us. His mere presence evokes a smile. Though he is not your typical hero but a shady character who plans each for his own gain, he oozes charisma.

Penelope Cruz fits into Angelica’s shoes but apart from the introductory scenes in which she engages in a sword fight with Sparrow, her character has little say.

The good looking young padre onboard too is part of the film’s charm as he develops a tenderness for a lovely mermaid whom he christens as Syrena. Other key figures in the cast are Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Richard Griffiths and Stephen Graham.

One downside of the film is its script. The story is quite lengthy, flowing on for a little over two and a quarter hours. It does not provide anything outstandingly original. The plot itself is chaotic and confusing.

At certain instances you are left on the lurch wondering what is going on till a line uttered by a characters fills the blanks. Unlike its previous predecessors, the fourth film of the series lacks life and imagination. Certain episodes seem to be heavily influenced by the Indiana Jones movies.

Perhaps it would have been better if the original director of the previous three Pirates movies had helmed the project but since Gore Verbinski had his hands full with Rango, Marshall seemed the next best choice.

Though the film had worked wonders at the box office and a fifth film is already being planned, many Pirates fans will agree that it falls short of the enthusiasm generated by the previous three.