None-the-less I was very interested in seeing what he could do with Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow. I find it very interesting when a certain genre of a director does something completely different. For example, when Marc Forster, known for his dramas like "Finding Neverland" and "Monster's Ball", decided to try his luck at Bond in 2008, he raised up a lot of hype. It’s this kind of daredevil acts that can make a director great... or end their career abruptly. So for that reason I admire Marshall's gusto.

That doesn't mean I admire the film necessarily. What I find interesting is how much passion Johnny Depp has for this movie series as well. Depp even said in a recent interview that he's even open to doing a 6, 7, and 8th film if Disney wants to continue this fantasy-action/adventure canon as long as the fans continue to like them and if the stories continue to be quality.

With each film, the series was able to add new elements and ideas step-by-step from movie to movie. "The Curse of the Black Pearl," started the franchise and was able to pump interest from teenagers to grandparents. The formula was simple: a story of mystical pirates, with sprinklings of very scary situations, and finally the crème de la crème, a rambunctious pirate named Jack Sparrow (which he would counter back in his crazy voice, “There should be a Captain in there.”) The film became an instant success which led to a sequel.

"Dead Man's Chest" was released in 2006, and was made more family-friendly than the original. It also became more of a sea-fable as we were introduced to Davy Jones and his pet... the Kraken. It also introduced us to the mysterious Tia Dalma who would be very important in the third of the series.

"At World's End" continued the second film's ideas of family-friendly fun. It contained mostly all the same ingredients from the second but also included ideas of black magic and mystery. From these three films the first was a masterpiece, the second was just as rousing as the first, and the third took all the momentum and lost it throughout the film.

Disney was hoping to gain that momentum back with the fourth and completely unattached film from the first three. This is the first film without Orlando Bloom's Will Turner and Keira Knighteley's Elizabeth Swann. In fact, the only characters returning from the original series are Mr. Gibbs, Captain Barbossa, Keith Richards in his respected cameo and of course the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow.

The film has a completely different string of plot lines, characters, and settings this time around. We are introduced to two main characters in the film, Angelica (played by the beautiful Penelope Cruz), Sparrow's love interest from his mysterious past and Ian McShane as the nightmare from Hell: Blackbeard! The characters didn't feel new to the series, and felt cliché to the Disney film.

Replacing Bloom and Knighteley are two newcomers to Hollywood: Sam Caflin as a Christian missionary named Philip and Astrid Berges-Frisbey playing a mermaid named Serena that must be sacrificed for Blackbeard's immortality. Both are held hostage under Blackbeard's reign and are definitely one of the better parts of the movie. Their love feels forbidden and seems like an epic romance, in fact both actors have enough charisma and chemistry on-screen that they could lead the film, we don't even need Sparrow! (Not saying I didn't like him).

Bu with that said, the best thing about this series has always been Depp's performance as Sparrow. He is just as good this time around and introduces his first real morality problem with love getting in the way. For the first time in the series Jack actually confronts love and has to decide what is happening between him and the beautiful Angelica.

Another positive note of the film was its way to blend different creatures from the mythos such as mermaids and zombies... Both are menacing and very scary and help build the suspense that the film has.

The films setting in Hawaii is good for the tone. Making the film feel like a tropical treasure hunt. As well as most of the action, which in its own right blends well with the tone and made the film gushing with adrenaline-juice.

Unfortunately the problems outweighed the pros.

For one thing the film concluded quite quickly which should not be for a Pirates movie. The plot was also lacking a lot of substance. Basically, the film follows different groups of people trying to reach the Fountain of Youth for its magical ability, to be able to explain the film in 18 words shows the lack of interweaving and spirit the story should be showcasing.

Another problem was Blackbeard. McShane's performance was a standard villainous performance for him. He has been playing villains for the past years so it shouldn't be too difficult for him. But the character itself is too cheesy for the franchise. Blackbeard contains a magical sword that controls all the ships in the sea. In one scene, he turns all the ropes on his ship the Queen Anne's Revenge into his slithery allies capturing people and restraining. He's also able to take ginormous ships and make them tiny to conceal into bottles. Weird, huh? In my opinion, this villain is too absurd for ol' Jackie.

There are a few scenes filled with action that dragged what little movie there was. Like the scene at the pub, where Jack and Angelica have to fend off hoards of British militia. This scene drags on for fifteen minutes and is completely useless to the film. As a 17-year-old, if I'm seeing these kind of inconsistencies, they have to change these problems and change them quickly.

There is a lot to be improved in the series and having the ever-more talented Johnny Depp still wanting to come back for more they can't keep on betting and trying things that butcher the films. I am a huge fan of Depp and for that a lot of parts of the film are great as well as Geoffrey Rush who seems to get better and better even now, in fact Barbossa is even more entertaining in this one than the previous films. With only one screenwriter returning (Ted Elliot is out, while Terry Rossio is continuing his work on Pirates) and already giving the script for a fifth sequel to Disney, let’s just hope they were able to improve from this last one. It did definitely have its highlights but sometimes the bad can overwhelm what good is in a film.

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