Sparrow is even more over the top (believe it or not) and thus removing any human connection to the characters. But the film itself presents a far goofier tone than any of those films. Ian McShane is pretty good as Blackbeard, though he doesn't really compare to anything Bill Nighy or Geoffrey Rush did in the original trilogy. It has plenty of fun swashbuckling action scenes that the franchise has always presented.
The efforts that are made aren't very committed.Īs a standalone sequel, which is essentially what this film is, On Stranger Tides is far from awful.
I never connected to anyone in On Stranger Tides because the writing never makes a considerable effort to flesh out the characters. William's sacrifice feels earned because we've been with these characters for a few films. One of the reasons At World's End is a much better film is because there are stakes in that film. The Pirates films at their best when the stakes are high but are also grounded with some realism. I don't necessarily think it was the best idea to make Sparrow the only character with significant depth, but I also don't think having the story involve mermaids and an overly powerful supernatural villain either.
On Stranger Tides featured Sparrow at the center of everything, which can be a good and bad thing. After the original trilogy, there wasn't much story left to tell with Will and Elizabeth, so Disney wished to continue the franchise putting a heavier focus on Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow.