Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

The pirates are back after six years and the longer hiatus has probably been good for them, as this is one of the best episodes. The high budget is definitely evident (there are speculations that it was as high as 300 million, some say 400, IMDB says 230 million, I don't know who is right, but I find 230 more believable). The film has a decent pace, nice new characters, especially Kaya Scodelario is a feast for the eyes, but Javier Bardem as the bad guy was also decently scary. Jack Sparrow is still the same. The highlight for me was the dead rotten sharks, something I haven’t seen anywhere, and the spectacular finale. What sucks is that there are no sword fights, most of the action is between ships. The film deserves to be seen in theatres for the visuals alone. 80%. (27/05/2017)

After so many times, the characters have lost some of their zest and are no longer than interesting. Barbossa is still scowling, Sparrow is still doing the same crap, and maybe only one or two scenes are really funny. And to make sure it's not just sterile grey and a variation on the same scripted tripe a hundred times over, new faces and new plot pieces are added to the puzzle. The creators have certainly made a very bold effort to move forward, and the phenomenal stunts this time are well complemented by a fast pace and very clear action. It's not nearly as pompous and bombastic as the madcap previous two episodes, but it's still, not and probably never will be as balanced and inventive as the first one was. The pirates are dead and stale stuff even if Depp was walking on his head. (08/06/2017)

A season of long and infinitely stupid movies. In the first half hour, there are a few candid ideas, then it's just two types of misery porn: you can watch mischievously as the screenwriters have a hard time with it and try to connect the plot so that it makes sense at least a little bit, and you can watch Depp even more mischievously, who clearly finds more of himself than he would like in the role of a bankrupt pirate feeding on self-deception. Joachim Rønning / Espen Sandberg do a solid job, but this ship leaks more than the Kon-Tiki. (17/09/2017)

A show which I never realized how much I was missing until I got it. Compared to previous sequels, there is a minimum of excessive inserts or unimportant characters, no side plots that slow down the fun, and definitely no psychedelic moments that don't fit well as part of the saga. Revenge takes the best from the previous installments, so the series once again becomes a benchmark for adventure, and possibly closes something that started fourteen long years ago. Jeff Nathanson rightfully bets his screenplay on the fates of old acquaintances, because he knows well that it is they who made Pirates of the Caribbean a beloved story. If the Pearl never sails again, a huge thanks for all the fish. If a sixth voyage is still in the works, I can't wait. (16/06/2017)

I wasn't expecting anything, I got a very nice show, although it may not look like it at first. For the first forty-five minutes, the film tries to recycle Jack Sparrow and his jokes, which unfortunately doesn't really work. The character doesn't really surprise with much of anything anymore, and the new faces don't seem very interesting at first. But then he sails out to sea and directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg seem to have decided to put all the hijinks behind them and push for a much more adventurous atmosphere. And they succeed. The huge budget shows and Salazar's Revenge is a big film that paces incredibly well. At the same time, the emotions work within the adventure genre and Kaya Scodelario is very fine as the new female lead. Which is also nice considering newcomer Brenton Thwaites doesn't impress much and even Javier Bardem deserves a slightly more interesting role. Of course, for all the adventurous goofiness and pacing, you'll probably address these shortcomings after the film; there really won't be time for that during the film. A proper Bruckheimer blockbuster and the best film of the franchise after the first one. (24/05/2017)