Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge

THE FIRST Pirates of the Caribbean movie ( Curse of the Black Pearl) turned Johnny Depp into a global superstar. But today, Depp has had several huge flops, is on the verge of financial ruin and has suffered several blows to his personal reputation.

Nonetheless, Salazar’s Revenge should please fans of the series, although this fifth instalment brings nothing new to the table.

It all begins with young Henry Turner (Lewis McGowan) swearing to find a way to break the curse that binds his father, Will ( Orlando Bloom), as the Flying Dutchman’s immortal captain.

Next thing you know, a grown-up Henry (Thwaites) is part of the crew of a British naval ship and when he tries to warn the captain about the dangerous area into which the ship is heading, he is thrown in the ship’s prison.

True to Henry’s warning, the ship is attacked by undead pirates led by Captain Salazar (Bardem), who tells Henry to warn Jack Sparrow (Depp) that he is coming for him.

Back on the island of St Martin, Sparrow is creating mayhem as usual.

He later joins up with Henry and Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), a young woman who is branded a witch because of her scientific knowledge. The three find a motley group of pirates and search for a trident that can put an end to all the curses at sea.

However, with Salazar teaming up with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in hot pursuit of Sparrow, things get pretty long drawn out.

At a little over two hours, the movie could do with a bit more editing.

However, fans of the original movie who enjoyed the slapstick

humour involving Sparrow and his cheeky one-liners (the horologist jokes are the best part of the film) will still enjoy it.

The ending promises yet another sequel, featuring characters not in the franchise’s fourth film.