Johnny Depp returns in the latest instalment in the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise
Cert 12A, 129 minutes, opens 26 May
Starring: Johnny Depp, Kaya Scodelario, Brenton Thwaites, Javier Bardem Directors: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg
THE PLOT For this fifth attempt to squeeze dollars out of the Disney high-seas franchise, the action brings together two new characters: young Henry (Thwaites), son of swashbuckler Will Turner (Orlando Bloom, in cameo); and feisty astronomer Carina (Scodelario), whose scientific savvy has seen her convicted of witchcraft. They both seek Poseidon’s Trident – as does seemingly everyone else in the film, including Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp), old foe Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and new undead pirate villain, Salazar (Bardem).
WHAT’S RIGHT WITH IT? Wittily unveiling Captain Jack drunk and asleep inside a bank safe that his shipmates are stealing, this latest Pirates establishes a zippy energy with its first set piece. Our own Kaya Scodelario, rather ill-used in the Maze Runner films, makes her mark as the smartest person in the room.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH IT? Although by no means as turgid as many of those interminable Pirates sequels, there’s certainly a profusion of moving parts and characters in the rather complicated plot machinations.
VERDICT Johnny’s Captain Jack routine may not be as fresh as it was in 2003’s
Curse Of The Black Pearl, but overall this film is a pleasant surprise.