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'On Stranger Tides' salty but stale
Showtime with Sasha
prates
Penelope Cruz plays Angelica, a former flame and the daughter of the most dangerous pirate on the seas, the voodoo-inclined Edward Blackbeard Teach in this version of "Pirates of the Caribbean..." - photo by Studio poster

“Pirates of the Caribbean 4” is in theaters now. I set sail with Captain Jack Sparrow (and Barbossa, too) one more time.
Was it a bumpy ride? The short answer is: Yes.
Disney’s “Pirates” franchise returns with a new installment called “On Stranger Tides.” It’s based on the novel of the same name by author Tim Powers. I bet you didn’t know that.
Of course, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom no longer are featured in our story as Captain Jack journeys to the Fountain of Youth.
To get there in one piece, he’ll have to evade Barbossa, who lost the pearl and his leg and has become a Navy man. Or has he?
Jack also will have to play nice with Angelica, a former flame and the daughter of the most dangerous pirate on the seas, the voodoo-inclined Edward Blackbeard Teach.
I don’t know how they do it, but “On Stranger Tides” was pretty entertaining.
Yes, Captain Jack is starting to get stale (and that’s very sad), but two new characters, the Missionary and the Mermaid, manage to distract. The usual dynamic fight sequences help, too.
More so than any of the previous “Pirates” movies, this one reminded me of the “Indiana Jones” franchise, and not necessarily in a bad way.
There are zombies in this film, believe it or not, and I thought their role could have been emphasized more. The film works, but just barely.
As soon as the character of the missionary starts to really matter, his fate is left unrevealed, which made me really angry. Why he is along on this adventure at all is kind of a mystery.
When you think about it, Angelica’s desire to seek salvation for her dastardly dad makes very little sense and is poorly executed, even for Father’s Day weekend.
Still, I have to say it: I’m a fan! Just barely.

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