Hey everyone!

Well, the Summer blockbusters have officially begun! And Pirates 4 is an excellent way to start it off!



I have to admit that I was tiny bit skeptical about the movie. I wasn't a big fan of the 3rd Pirates installment. But after seeing how different Pirates 4 is compared to the other 3...I was entertained the entire time. It seems like they have started the series over without the intent to do so.

This is a good thing! There's no need to "catch up" on the story of Jack Sparrow for people who are new to the Pirates franchise (that rock you live under must be pretty cozy if you haven't seen at least one of them yet.)
It's also a good thing because the storyline centering around Will Turner got old fast with the 2nd and 3rd movies. This time around it's all about Jack & Blackbeard. True pirates that love what they do.

So, the story is simple. Capt. Jack is searching for the Fountain of Youth, although it's not really specified as to why he wants to find it. To be younger longer, sure, but it just seems like he's in it for the adventure in just locating it.
The acting overall was a bit...exaggerated. At times (especially the scene with King George, played by Richard Griffiths) it was to the point of uncomfortable silliness. It was all good fun, nonetheless. Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow was, of course, spot on and definitely consistent with the other movies. I was surprised by Penelope Cruz! I might need to see more Penelope Cruz movies because I liked her acting. It was like she had a switch to turn something serious into something funny, and vise versa. She played Angelica, a woman scorned by Jack years ago and claims that he betrayed her and left her brokenhearted for personal gain. One word for you, Angelica: "Pirate!"
Geoffrey Rush reprized his role as Barbossa, who even though has turned from pirate to Nobleman, is still as creepy and big-headed as ever.
Ian McShane as Blackbeard was perfect. He was ruthless and evil, just like you'd imagine Blackbeard to be. He also has magic powers, which kinda threw me off. I know the other Pirates movies had magic in them, but it seemed to be centered all around Blackbeard. I don't know if that makes sense.

This installment certainly doesn't feel like you're sitting in the theater forever. Which is a sign of a good movie what with it clocking in at about 2 1/2 hours.

Oh yeah! The 3D...probably wasn't needed. There were moments when it was used pretty well. At one point there's a skeleton hand (not sayin WHO'S skeleton!) reaches out towards you. Oh, and Blackbeard thrusts his sword all the time (thats what she said?) But overall, you forget you're wearing glasses.
DBox wasn't bad either! I was worried, but since you're mostly in a boat and people are constantly sword fighting or flying through the air, it was all good fun and worth your extra $8.

Should you see it? Definitely. If you've seen the other Pirates and enjoyed them, you'll like this one. If you haven't (can I stay the night under that rock?) it's a great starter into the franchise!
3Dbox? It's worth it if you're willing to pay the extra money. :)
Anything else? "He's even more annoying in miniature."


Releasing next week:

Hangover: Part II (screening.)
Kung Fu Panda 2: The Kaboom of Doom (I'm SO EXCITED)
Tree of Life (we're not getting this one. It's a limited release and I'm sad. It looks amazing...maybe it'll catch on like King's Speech and we'll get it later on next month..)

As always, thanks for reading! :)

I'm going to try and see Bridesmaids this week. I keep hearing good things.
Next week might have 2 reviews (Hangover & Panda) as well.