JACK ON THE FAST TRACK
Captain Sparrow’s latest ‘ Pirates’ moves at an especially swift clip
When last we left Captain Jack Sparrow some six years ago, he was —
Ah, it doesn’t really matter. Some 14 years and five movies into the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, does anyone this side of Johnny Depp care enough about these movies to pos- sess an encyclopedic knowledge of all the curses and kills and character arcs?
Strike that. I’ll bet not even Johnny Depp could walk us through the timeline.
I mean, we’re not talking about “Star Wars” or “Alien” or the Marvel Universe here. Perhaps I’m mistaken, but I don’t see the same level of online fan- person passion for the “Pirates” movies as we see for other franchises. Are there fan- driven “Cons” populated by devoted SparrowHeads, with Barbossa cos- tume contests and couples dressed as Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann?
Yet the “Pirates” movies are well- liked. The first four movies have grossed some $ 3.75 billion worldwide, so here we go with entry No. 5.
And indeed, “Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” extends its tentacles into the past. In addition to Depp’s fifth turn as the heavily guy- linered, perpetually soused, comedically slurring narcissist pirate, we get the return of some beloved ( and not so beloved) characters from “Pirates” past, and in each case they’re given the closure they deserve.
But even if you haven’t seen any of the previous entries in this initially entertaining but sometimes overblown and sometimes meandering Disney moneymaker, “Dead Men” works well enough as a stand- alone, swashbuckling comedic spectacle, thanks to the
terrific performances, ingenious practical effects, impressive CGI and a steady diet of PG- 13 dialogue peppered with not particularly sophisticated but ( I have to admit) fairly funny sexual innuendo.
Co- directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg ( Oscar nominees for best foreign film with the gripping “Kon- Tiki” in 2012) move things along at a brisk pace for a “Pirates” movie. ( It’s about 50 minutes shorter than the interminable “At World’s End.”) From a ridiculous and wildly entertaining bank robbery scene early on when the entire bank, i. e., the building itself, is taken, through a thrilling finale involving a “Ten Commandments”- style parting of the waters, “Dead