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Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Movie

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 2011

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In their fourth adventure, Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) embark on a quest to find the elusive Fountain of Youth. Also stars Penelope Cruz, Gemma Ward and Judi Dench. More

Sparrow crosses paths with a woman from his past, Angelica (Cruz) - but is this love or is she a con artist using him to find the Fountain of Youth for herself? When she forces him aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the formidable Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack's thrust into an adventure in which he doesn't know who to fear more: the pirate or the woman?

Based on the pirate novel On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers and the first in the Disney series not to be directed by Gore Verbinski. This time it's Rob Marshall (Nine, Chicago) at the helm. Hide

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145 votes / 40 comments The Talk

  • 80 %

    Want to See it

    What say you?

    • joe

      once again johnny at his finest!

    • ice

      too good

    • Jesse

      Looking forward to it!

    • PeDe

      I can't wait . . . loved the other three

    • KMA

      Johnny Depp & Ian McShane = must see

    • clararar

      Wasn't a huge fan of #3 so hope this one can rescue the franchise, the new cash should help!

    • wow

      can't believe Gemma Ward's in it. will see it just for her!

    • sweet

      love johnny D in pirates 1,2,3 and now 4 awesome can't wait

    • berta

      yippeeeee can't wait - these movies rock :-)

    • awesome

      i wanna c it NOW NOW NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • i r baboon

      so carnt wate, its gonna b awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Colin

      hmmm, trailer looks ok, but then so did the trailer for the last & they were rubbish

    • Jasmine

      Looks awesome!

    • god

      i used to think i'd go gay for johnny and let my wife do him, for free. now i hope he'd die, just to end this rubbish.

    • Talofa

      man i luv dis guys actin nd stuff pretty hektik

    • YAY

      i luv pirates of caribbeans man cnt wait to watch this

    • jack sparrow

      you are at it again best movie i have ever seen

    • Eloise

      I sooooooooo want to see this!!!!!!!!

    • Raechel

      OMGosh! Mermaids! this is gonna be so super cool!!! im so glad that johnny depp and Geoffrey Rush are still in these!!!

    • bluefire

      looking forward to it!!!!

    • kikibellz

      I wish Jack Sparrow had a brother and he was played by russel brand haha!

    • Leonie

      Mean can't wait to see it

    • Oliver G

      Jack Sparrow is such a nut, but we love him! Can't wait to see it.

    • none

      can't they just put it in cinamas all ready

    • BabaLee

      cant wait to see pirates of the caribbean

    • Jeff

      EPIC

    • Paul

      They've all been terrible. Not going to bother.

    • Jemz

      Mean as wanna see this moviee.

    • fart bag

      wow for a disney film this is AWESOME

    • MADDIE

      I cannot wait at all to see this movie. Johnny Depp portrays Jack Sparrow so well. HYPERVENTILATING

    • Xiao

      Sounds fun :)

    • poodle

      i want to see this with mah best friend. yay! afterwards we go to mcdonalds! woopee! x0x0x0x

    • William

      Thats CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow

    • lissy

      Thats SUPER CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow

    • oily

      i can name fingers and point names.

    • T33

      wOULS LIKE TO SEE THIS ONE

    • Greg

      Its looks so cool

    • ayya

      lala

    • renae

      this movie rox

  • CARE TO COMMENT?

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Flicks.co.nz Review

Rating:

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  • Alex

    Had low expectations going into this one after the dismal sequels after the PERFECT original! But pleasantly surprised!Mermaid scene!

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Andrew Hedley Flicks Writer

Part four of the Pirates franchise spends a little too long idling in the doldrums but excursions into fresh waters keep this latest installment afloat. Watch out though, that hull is springing leaks and it’s unlikely she’ll last any further voyages. Much like a trans-Atlantic crossing, you’d better be sure you’re up to the lengthy challenge before ye board this wooden vessel. More

The good: part four has lost the incessant pouting of Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom; there’s an awesomely spooky sequence where some nasty mermaids move in for the kill; there’s Blackbeard’s fearsome black magic; there’s some very nifty action, lavish production design (director Rob Marshall has a background in musical theatre) and the effects are all top notch. And Geoffrey Rush has a peg leg.

The not so good: 130 minutes is too long for a pirate movie; Ian McShane is surprisingly underpowered as the villain; Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack is just along for the ride without much to do; the film lacks both the narrative drive and freshness of the first. Benefiting from the decision to begin anew after the existing trilogy is a good idea.

This is a darker, more soulful entry with some fun set pieces. But it’s definitely wearying and no amount of candle-lit exposition can make a slight plot interesting. Time to lay anchor for good? Hide

The People's Reviews

Rating:

19 ratings and 14 reviews

All reviews (14)

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  • PhilMoore

    This is a fun movie I meant to say for those of you who don't think I can speak english properly

  • Mark-anothany

    I enjoyed this movie. I haven't seen the other 3 but still found it funny. It was a little predictable in place though!

comment / reply

Cool movie

PhilMoore Flicks Superstar (?)

This a fun adventure film and fun to see Jack Sparrow played greatly by Johnny Depp again. This time he is looking for the fountain of youth and has to battle Blackbeard and his daughter Angelica pl;ayed by Penelope Cruz. There are some cool action scenes and funny dialogue. Depp is just as good as ever and I recommend this film

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A Really Good movie

Aidan1 Flicks Superstar (?)

This movie was awesome The actors were awesome it was nice to see Johnny Depp again i really enjoy watching his character he is really funny i was a bit sad that we won't see Orlando Bloom & Keira Knightly again but hopefully they may come back in future Pirate movies cant wait for the next one.

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good

CSBright Flicks Superstar (?)

it was a good movie

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35% on Rotten Tomatoes pretty much sums it up

clararar Flicks Superstar (?)

The Jerry Bruckheimer machine just keeps steamrolling this money-printing series into the ground. After shedding Keira and Orlando's characters, there was real potential to inject some zest into the story. Being four, five movies into a franchise doesn't necessarily mean it has to be mediocre, as Fast Five recently proved. However, it just seemed like the writers just couldn't be bothered to weave a captivating plot or construct characters you'd empathise with in this outing. While there are fights, chases, romance (well, hardly) and betrayal, everyone just seems to be going through the motions so they can get their paycheck and go home.

There are certainly worse ways to spend an evening, but this movie ultimately disappointed me, and you may well be left wondering at the end what the point of it all was. If you managed to enjoy it, great. However, if you're still trying to decide whether to fork over $16-20 for the cinema experience, you might be better off re-watching the original at home - that's still the best of the bunch.

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Watchable

100WordReviews Flicks Superstar (?)

I didn't geek over the prior Pirates trilogy when they came out. Perhaps it's my "wavering" fear of the ocean that restricted me from placing these movies beyond the realm of 'enjoyable'. On Stranger Tides ventures no further. After a fun opening, the film takes a step back, dragging the audience with it. However, the movie drops its sails midway and picks up some much needed speed. McShane's Blackbeard is a total badass (but could've used more moments of badassery) and the mermaid sequence is brilliant. Pirates 4 remains enjoyable, but continuing this generic formula can slowly sink the series.

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  • aaron

    its look good i wana see it, it your opinion it might be amazing <3

  • BrionyJae

    Why didn't you review the 3D one then? :)

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Boring & predictable

Sarah29 Flicks Superstar (?)

It's never a good sign when you are constantly checking your watch to see how much longer the film has to go. Also the 3D adds absolutely nothing to the story and is definitely not worth the extra money

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Back To Strength!

BrionyJae Flicks Superstar (?)

I almost didn't go to this one, because the last two PotC movies have been a tad lacking - but I am SO GLAD that I went! :) 'On Stranger Tides' worked brilliantly with a mix of new characters and the old favourites. Johnny Depp is once again back to being the brilliant Captain Jack Sparrow that he was in the first movie - he's just a marvel to watch. Plus, the mermaids were just too epic xD Definitely recommend it! :)

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  • alex128

    In case that was too negative, the mermaid sequence is definitely worth the watch

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Meh

alex128 B-Grader (?)

Just alright is not really want you want to come out feeling after going in to see Cap'n Jack Sparrow. Better than the third film (thank God), largely due to the absence of Keira-I-like-to-pout-Knightley and Orlando Bloom, but not nearly as good as the first or quite on par with the second. I must admit I had my hopes up, excited for Jack's adventures and such. It began strongly but plot-holes and very annoying unresolved story lines were extremely distracting and disappointing. I expected more laughs, and those that I did get weren't so much because of a snappy and engaging script, but the usual Jack Sparrow antics. Barbossa still a scene stealer, and the relationship between Jack and Angelica could have been used more.

It's still one to see though, if you want a pick-me-up after "At World's End"

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meh

Jaco-Cory Wannabe (?)

predictable.
can't remember if I was mildly surprised or chuckled even once

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  • Paul

    why do u always give bad ratings to movies

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Same old same old

Gerd Flicks Superstar (?)

And by fare not as good as the original. Save your money!

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Fountain of youth

RGoh A-Lister (?)

blackberd was blackberd, a pirate of all pirates fear is put to the test in pirates of the caribbean on strangers tides. It had some great effect when it came to the mermaids.

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great movie

Taylor-Wallis B-Grader (?)

with all the reviews I had read i wasnt expecting much but was pleasently surprised & i really enjoyed it. the addition of penelope cruz worked. can't wait for the next 2 to see what they can do. bring it on

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a big surprise

Michele-Wallis A-Lister (?)

I wasnt expecting much from what I heard about it but i really enjoyed the movie more than some of the previous. i am an orlando bloom fan so thought I would miss him but no it worked well with penelope cruz. I look forward to see what they can do with the next two movies.

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Press Reviews

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

For me, it's too much of a muchness. Full review.

Dominion Post (Graeme Tuckett)

This is stodgy direction, without any flourish or swagger, in the service of a film with nothing on its mind but pulling in the most money for the least expended effort. Full review.

Empire (UK)

An overly complicated plot and poorly thought-out characters detract from the flashes of charm that Cap'n Jack still emits. Despite quality set-pieces and the best efforts of the cast, this is dull and crossbones. Full review.

Guardian (UK)

A poorly scripted film has its forked tongue sticking out of both cheeks. Full review.

Hollywood Reporter

Captain Jack Sparrow is back in excellent form for his fourth adventure in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which is more serious in the hands of a new director, Rob Marshall, and thanks to Penelope Cruz it's also a good deal sexier. Full review.

New York Times

It is by far the least strange of all the "Pirates" episodes so far, with none of the cartoonish exuberance or creepy-crawly effects that made its predecessors intermittently delightful. Full review.

Otago Daily Times (Christine Powley)

A vast, sprawling romp Full review.

Total Film (UK)

Not as incomprehensible, or interminable as At World’s End, but no amount of flash and filigree can conceal a disappointingly soulless, directionless adventure-by-numbers. All swash, little buckle: welcome back to the theme park ride that NEVER ENDS... Full review.