Pirates of the Caribbean Facts

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (A Review)

*WARNING, WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD* You don't have to read this.

Why hello, my fellow pirates. After a bit of negotiating (and some waiting), my parents agreed to take me to the theater to finally watch the movie I've been stalking for the past year-or-so.

Here is what I thought about this film in each category out of 10 points (I'm trying to keep this from being biased, since, I am a PotC fan after all).

Story: 8 out of 10. It was good, I can say that, but it sort of contradicts itself. Plot holes are here and there (Pretty much expected for any film, I won't name all of them), but one stands out. If you have any inkling of what Tia Dalma was saying in PotC 2: DMC, you would know that Jack bartered with her for possession of the magical  compass. In this film, in the flashback, it says otherwise as if what ever Tia said did not happen. This may bug some people. Other than that, I loved it, since, it goes a bit more into Captain Jack Sparrow's past more than other movies, and it dives a little bit deeper into Will Turner's relationship with his son, Henry. 

Characters: 9.5 out of 10. Okay, the characters were great, very easy to relate to (except for some individuals). Everyone was interesting in their own ways, some new, some old. The old characters we had all known from days past stayed the same. The only problem I have here is with dear ol' Capt'n Jack Sparrow.  We know he is an alcoholic,  we know he is tipsy in most of the movies, but in this, he is just plain drunk. This caused me some great annoyance when he first came on screen.

Acting: 8.5 out of 10. The acting was great, you could not tell that there was really an actor behind the CGI and costumes, based on what I think. There is a downside, I did not say it was perfect. Sometimes, parts seemed stretched, more forced than what feels natural. The dialogue falls lightly into that 'forced' category. It was bearable, but not terrible. One example of this is when Salazar says, "Dead men tell no tales", dropping the title of the film, it makes you feel as if it should not be there.

Casting: 10 out of 10. In my honest opinion, the casting could not be anymore perfect than what it already has been. I would have deducted points because of the actress they chose for Carina, who felt a little out of place, but it stays a ten for some beloved side characters returning. Javier Bardem was an excellent choice for the role of Salazar. The same can be said for other characters, such as Henry Turner.

CGI (Computer Generated Images): 9.5 out of 10. It was almost perfect, very well done,  it was realistic, lifelike, and believable. I would've said it surpassed the CGI on Davy Jones, but unfortunately, no. It would not seem too noticeable to others, but to myself, the CGI is very apparent against the backdrop of actual actors and props.

How well the directors executed the plot and characters: Now, this is where the score takes a hit. 7 out of 10. It wasn't bad, just uncomfortable. Maybe it's just me, but the way the directors filmed the scenes and presented the story felt very, very different from the other films. 

Entertainment: This was a very entertaining film, an easy 10 out of 10. The action sequences actually had a sense of peril, and were exciting. Even the scenes where people were just talking and milling about were interesting and engaging enough for myself and my family.

Film length: 8.5 out of 10. With the film being the shortest of the entire series, I was a little disappointed. Coming in at 2 hours and 9 minutes, I felt that it does fit what it requires to tell the story, but I also felt that it could've been longer. Some parts of the story I felt needed some explaining. Other than that, this is a score I felt this film deserved in this category.

Other: This category will not have a score, but it is where I address some of the things that left me slightly unhappy with the film. Firstly, let me tell you how annoyed I was when they changed Jack's past, and how he got to captain the Wicked Wench (AKA the Black Pearl). The producers had already said that the book, The Price of Freedom, was canon, where the author says that Jack gained possession of the Black Pearl with the help of Cutler Beckett. In the film, he gains this position by saving the lives of his crew mates. Secondly, let me say one word, Barbossa. (Get ready for some major spoilers...) This is the one thing that actually put me in temporary denial, not only do we find out that Barbossa has a daughter, but HE FRICKEN DIES. I could go ranting off about this all day, but to save you guys, I'm just going to say that the Jack-Hector dynamic is forever ruined, unless Barby comes back from the dead once again.

Overall score: The overall score I would give this film is 8.9 out of 10. (I might be contradicting myself somewhere)

I know that there are people out there who do not think as fondly as I do of this film, but if you want to voice your opinion, just do so in the comments. I won't fight you.

Next update will probably be next week.