SYNOPSIS: Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, “Pirates of the Caribbean : On Stranger Tides” captures the fun, adventure and humor that ignited the hit franchise—this time in Disney Digital 3D™. Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in an action-packed adventure. Crossing paths with the enigmatic Angelica (Penélope Cruz), he’s not sure if it’s love—or if she’s a ruthless con artist who’s using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesn’t know whom to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica, with whom he shares a mysterious past. The international cast includes franchise vets Geoffrey Rush as the vengeful Captain Hector Barbossa and Kevin R. McNally as Captain Jack’s longtime comrade Joshamee Gibbs, plus Sam Claflin as a stalwart missionary and Astrid Bergès-Frisbey as a mysterious mermaid. 

FILM REVIEW:[after being addressed as "Jack Sparrow"] 
Jack Sparrow: There should be a "Captain" in there somewhere. 

Johnny Depp is back again playing the character that is probably the most fun for him and all of us. It is also his most successful character too. So the question is will we ever get enough of Jack Sparrow? Sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow? I doubt it! This really is an awesome franchise. Priscilla claims that this is one of the very few movie series that she is willing to watch over and over again. Imagine that! The real kicker is that it is simply based on a Disney ride. Imagine that! Wow, talk about getting the winning lottery ticket. But you can’t go wrong with this concept, and this fourth installment is just as good as all the others. Some are calling it the best one yet, but I won’t go that far because I really enjoyed the others too, so I’ll leave it at being as good as the others. And like the others we have plenty of adventure, action, and sword play with a bit of fantasy, sprinkled with some romance, a great story of legends, good twists in the plot, breathtaking cinematography, superb direction by Rob Marshall, an excellent cast, entertaining banter especially between Jack and Angelica, awesome ships like Queen Anne’s Revenge, and one of the best musical scores for a film ever. Let me catch my breath . . . ok. A movie like this is the reason why we go to theaters. It is impressive how they’ve been able to keep the cast for the repeating characters intact such as Depp, Rush, Kevin McNally who plays Gibbs, and the all important cameo by Keith Richards. A Pirates movie would not be the same at all without them and they were brilliant as always. I actually consider Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa to be just as entertaining as Johnny Depp is as Sparrow. In this installment they’ve added Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane in the two other major roles. Penelope was sharp, sexy, and spicy while Ian was good but I was expecting a little more oomph from him considering the role he was playing. But there were some characters that stole the screen whenever they appeared. The mermaids were stunning, up to a certain point, and none more than Astrid Berges-Frisbey as Syrena. Her beauty as well as her performance was angelic. 

Jack Sparrow: Did everyone see that? Because I will *not* be doing it again. 

Somehow I think you will Jack, don’t kid yourself. From the very opening of the movie, we are transported to Captain Jack Sparrow’s world. Similar to the unparalleled Cinderella’s Castle presentation to introduce the movie studio for Tron Legacy, this one also had some clever changes. A pirates’ flag is flying atop the castle this time and a couple of mermaids jump out of the river as the view zooms out; look for it, it is a nice touch. The use of 3D is always a cool feature, and growing more common, but in this case I am tempted to say that it isn’t necessary. The movie would be just as good without it, but oh well, consider it a bonus. Priscilla pointed out that Jack was extremely acrobatic in this film, reminiscent of the first Pirates. Overall, this movie has a similar feel to the first Pirates as if they were starting a whole new series, or turning the page so to speak, or starting the next chapter, the first of a second trilogy. You get my meaning. What an incredible idea! Yes, there are rumors that this is the case and I think that’s great. Now being a resident of the beautiful state of Florida, I am quite familiar with Ponce de Leon and the Fountain of Youth. Neither the terrain nor the fountain itself is as it is depicted in the film but I am more than willing to overlook that. This movie is going to do wonders for tourism in St. Augustine, I’m sure. It really is a richly historical place. But of course, the movie’s version is much more exciting.