Jack back to his near-best
Can you believe it’s been 14 years since Captain Jack Sparrow first set sail on the high seas in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl?
And what a rollicking adventure that first Pirates flick was, surprising audiences and critics to rake in $650 million at the box office.
Sadly, the three sequels that followed suffered badly from the law of diminishing returns – with increasingly overcomplicated plots and unwelcome character additions – to the point where it felt like it was time for the franchise to walk the plank when the credits rolled on 2011’s On Stranger Tides.
However, showing a propensity for survival to match Captain Jack himself, fifth entry Salazar’s Revenge arrives with an enticing new villain – Javier Bardem’s titular undead pirate – some new young blood, Brenton Thwaites’ Henry and Kaya Scodelario’s Carina, and the return of a few familiar faces.
Jack is back too and it must be quite the relief for Johnny Depp to put on the eyeliner and dress up like a pirate once again to reprise one of his most beloved roles in the wake of a difficult 12 months in his not-so-private life.
While not quite matching his Oscarnominated turn in the first Pirates movie, Depp is in terrific form and stays on the right side of the brilliant-annoying divide so many of the characters he’s played in recent years have found themselves swaying on.
A feisty Scodelario survives comparisons with Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann and Thwaites cuts a dashing enough young hero, despite the occasional turn into blandness.
Bardem, who has previously tormented the likes of Bond and Josh Brolin, serves up another memorable antagonist, helped no end by some well-rendered CGI that makes him look like something the cat – or Jaws – has dragged in.
But Geoffrey Rush’s returning Captain Barbossa is given short shrift again and there’s a Mackenzie Crook and Lee Arenberg-sized hole in the comedic chops department that the likes of Stephen Graham (Scrum) struggle to fill.
There’s the usual MacGuffin-pursuing nonsense going on – this time Jack is trying to get his mitts on the trident of Poseidon – but thankfully Jeff Nathanson and series regular Terry Rossio’s story is easier to follow than the previous three entries’.
Norwegian directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg (Kon-Tiki) make a good job of their franchise bow with a series of joyous set pieces reminiscent of the first film and indelible creations including zombie sharks.
Slapstick looms large but there’s a surprising amount of emotion packed into the satisfying climax.
It’s an ending that would have worked well as the series’ farewell – but then a post-credits scene pops up to suggest a sixth sail is on the horizon.
As entertaining as Salazar’s Revenge is, I’m not sure audiences’ goodwill will survive another two-hours-plus with Captain Jack and Co.