# Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)



## Perpetual Man (Dec 14, 2010)

After a great first movie, and enjoyable but not quite as good second and third, here comes the fourth, albeit paired down and promising a return to the not so overcomplex plotting of the previous two movies.

Have to say it does look fun with Ian McShane looking very promising (No surprise)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX7cALJEwwk&feature=player_embedded


----------



## sloweye (Dec 14, 2010)

Oh dear, let a good thing die with dignity.
First was good, second was just a very long advert for the third, and the third let it pass on with some dignity, leave it alone


----------



## Perpetual Man (Dec 14, 2010)

Well I agree with what you say about 2 & 3, but this looks different, it's (allegedly) not so continuity laden as the previous 2, a new fresh adventure, they've dropped Bloom and Knightley, just a fresh story featuring Jack Sparrow, who's excesses seemed to have been reined back in...

Obviously it's not going to be for everyone, but it could be better than it has any right to be. Or the Star Wars Prequels...


----------



## sloweye (Dec 14, 2010)

Oh i shall give it a watch, but that mean little doubt monster is there in the back of my mind, and he's having a little paddy


----------



## Perpetual Man (Dec 14, 2010)

Well I certainly know that feeling


----------



## digs (Dec 14, 2010)

I thought the 2nd was horrible and didn't bother seeing the 3rd (which I heard was even worse). _However_, I think there's a chance this could be good if they treat it with the same light-heartedness and fun as the 1st, which was excellent. Basing a movie on Johnny Depp is rarely a bad idea.


----------



## Perpetual Man (Dec 14, 2010)

I thought that 2 & 3 had some great moments and some good ideas, but everything was overwhelmed with the need for spectacle. All else was crushed under the weight of the next special effect. There were some good performances, but all in all it proved that bigger is not always better.

If they have gone back to their roots with this one, then as Digs says there is a chance it could be good.


----------



## CyBeR (Dec 14, 2010)

*bows very low*

About damn time this thing got back into the spotlight. They've been annoying me with "In Production" for years now. 

I loved the whole trilogy, but I'm a moviegoer of simple tastes: if it's flashy and it knows that it wants to be flashy, I will not fault it for it. So 2 and 3 were for me some of the best times I've ever had in a cinema, especially with friends. 

What I'm most worried here is that Rob Marshal has yet to direct something of this sort so he's gonna be in trial by fire with it. 
Well, we'll see how it turns out. I, for one, am definitely going to see it.


----------



## Perpetual Man (Dec 14, 2010)

CyBeR said:


> What I'm most worried here is that Rob Marshal has yet to direct something of this sort so he's gonna be in trial by fire with it.
> Well, we'll see how it turns out. I, for one, am definitely going to see it.



Well I agree with you, but the trailer certainly makes it look promising! (But then that IS a trailers job)


----------



## sloweye (Dec 14, 2010)

Perpetual Man said:


> Well I agree with you, but the trailer certainly makes it look promising! (But then that IS a trailers job)



Again, i'm with you here, I saw the trailer for a film called 'I bought a vampire motorbike' (or something like that) which looked promising in a  B-movie-tastic way... upon viewing it turned out to be more of a D-movie-kak-tastic


----------



## Tillane (Dec 14, 2010)

Walked out of the cinema an hour through the first, haven't watched the rest.  First was dross.  Don't really care beyond that.


----------



## digs (Dec 15, 2010)

I've actually never met anyone who didn't like the first before. What were you expecting from it?


----------



## Tillane (Dec 15, 2010)

To be honest, I didn't really have any expectations.  I'd heard it was based on a Disney ride, and a few people had been to see it and said it was fun, but that was about it.  I think my only real expectations were in Johnny Depp: I'd liked most of the stuff he'd done prior to POTC, and expected that - at least - he'd be entertaining.  And he is...kind of.  My problems with the first film were with Knightley and Bloom, both of whom I found utterly, utterly tedious, and with the plot, which I also found dull and largely unfunny.

But I know I'm in a minority.  Of one, it seems at times.  Only Mark Kermode seems to agree with me on this - and I'm not so sure that's a good thing...


----------



## soulsinging (Dec 16, 2010)

Perpetual Man said:


> I thought that 2 & 3 had some great moments and some good ideas, but everything was overwhelmed with the need for spectacle. All else was crushed under the weight of the next special effect. There were some good performances, but all in all it proved that bigger is not always better.
> 
> If they have gone back to their roots with this one, then as Digs says there is a chance it could be good.



The problem I saw with 2 and 3 was they got caught up trying to make an epic. The first was some of the most fun anyone had had at the movies in a while. A semi-goofy plot with engaging villians and Depp at his best. Bloom and Knightley were nothing special, but did provide a great foil for CApt Jack, so they served their purpose.

Then in the second, suddenly it becomes a deep, heavy metaphor for freedom and imperialism and all kinds of other bizarre subtexts. They lost sight of what made it a success in the first place while going for a LOTR style Important Movie plot. It was a miserable failure. If this one can get away from that, I'm in.


----------



## Starbeast (Dec 16, 2010)

I just watched the trailer, and I'm not really that interested to see it. Probably due to the surreal antics of the third film by Capt. Jack Sparrow, no offense to Mr Depp who is a fine actor, but the writing for him was lame. I went back to enjoying the performance of Mr Rush as Capt. Barbosa (my favorite character) for the 2nd and 3rd film, but I see that in the trailer thet Capt. Barbosa has joined the other side and is working for England. That put me off , ah well, maybe this one will be better than the 3rd film (Capt. Barbosa was cool in that one, I saw more of him ).


----------



## soulsinging (Dec 16, 2010)

Starbeast said:


> I just watched the trailer, and I'm not really that interested to see it. Probably due to the surreal antics of the third film by Capt. Jack Sparrow, no offense to Mr Depp who is a fine actor, but the writing for him was lame. I went back to enjoying the performance of Mr Rush as Capt. Barbosa (my favorite character) for the 2nd and 3rd film, but I see that in the trailer thet Capt. Barbosa has joined the other side and is working for England. That put me off , ah well, maybe this one will be better than the 3rd film (Capt. Barbosa was cool in that one, I saw more of him ).



I got the impression this was more a prequel... ie. this was before Barbosa became a pirate, not the other way around.


----------



## Perpetual Man (Dec 16, 2010)

soulsinging said:


> I got the impression this was more a prequel... ie. this was before Barbosa became a pirate, not the other way around.



A prequel?

I had not thought of it like that at all, but having just re-watched the trailer I realised that there is nothing at all that says it could not be. 

I figured at the end of the last film Jack had filched the map off Barbosa and I thought it was a map to the fountain of youth, which is what this new film is about... but I'm not certain about that by a long shot - and have no intention of digging the film out to confirm it.

My impression was that Barbosa (and possibly Jack) had been forced into the King's service as opposed to being there by choice.

But there is nothing that actually says that in the trailer... hmmm


----------



## soulsinging (Dec 16, 2010)

Perpetual Man said:


> A prequel?
> 
> I had not thought of it like that at all, but having just re-watched the trailer I realised that there is nothing at all that says it could not be.
> 
> ...



I only saw the third once and it was a painful and quickly forgotten experience, so I don't recall what map you're talking about, but it does sound kind of familiar. In that event, I hope I'm right. Barbosa becoming a king's man AFTER these movies is a pretty disappointing thought.


----------



## Dave (Dec 16, 2010)

I've been on the Disney ride and I'd say the first was only loosely based on something that lasts 10 minutes. As for Captain Sparrow I thought he sailed off the end of the Earth in the previous films, or he should have. I will no doubt watch this on DVD though.


----------



## clovis-man (Dec 16, 2010)

Dave said:


> I've been on the Disney ride and I'd say the first was only loosely based on something that lasts 10 minutes. As for Captain Sparrow I thought he sailed off the end of the Earth in the previous films, or he should have. I will no doubt watch this on DVD though.


 
If you've been on the ride in the last few years then you know that Jack Sparrow is a fixture in the exhibit now. So you can expect to keep seeing him elsewhere also.


----------



## Dave (Dec 17, 2010)

clovis-man said:


> If you've been on the ride in the last few years then you know that Jack Sparrow is a fixture in the exhibit now. So you can expect to keep seeing him elsewhere also.


No, it was at EuroDisney in 2001. I didn't realise it had been changed to accommodate Jack Sparrow (though I don't know why now as it makes perfect sense.)


----------



## williamjm (Dec 21, 2010)

Perpetual Man said:


> I figured at the end of the last film Jack had filched the map off Barbosa and I thought it was a map to the fountain of youth, which is what this new film is about... but I'm not certain about that by a long shot - and have no intention of digging the film out to confirm it.



You're right, they do have a map to the Fountain of Youth at the end of the third film, I remember because it reminded me of Powers' "On Stranger Tides" book at the time. Obviously it wasn't just me that was reminded of that 

It definitely isn't a prequel.



> Barbosa becoming a king's man AFTER these movies is a pretty disappointing thought.



It was fairly common for pirates to end up working as privateers for various countries during that era.


----------



## Connavar (Dec 24, 2010)

Hollywood are fun they are saying the film is suggested by the novel of Tim Powers but they created the characters hehe.

*Writing credits*

Ted Elliott(screenplay) & Terry Rossio(screenplay)
Ted Elliott(characters) & Terry Rossio(characters) 
Stuart Beattie(characters) and Jay Wolpert(characters)
Tim Powers(novel "On Stranger Tides") (suggestion)

From imdb, they copied totally On Stranger Tides novel.   I would like to see the film only thanks to Depp.  Im like all the others who think they ruined the fun of the first film with 2,3 films that tried to be epic,heroic.

The lame creators will still make a billion dollars thanks to Johnny Depp. They have nothing else going for them.


----------



## Anne Lyle (Dec 24, 2010)

Loved the first movie, thought 2 was tolerable, 3 awful (haven't bothered to buy the DVD). I'll probably go and see 4, just for the halibut*.

Mostly, though, I want to hunt down a copy of the book. Tim Powers is one of my all-time favourite authors, and it's years since I read _On Stranger Tides_. I just hope he's being paid something for the use of his idea!

* old family euphemism for "the hell of it", in case you're puzzled!


----------



## Connavar (Dec 25, 2010)

Disney bought the rights to the novel so he got something atleast.  Really they must only have been afraid of being sued by him,his people.


----------



## william b (Jun 6, 2011)

I saw this movie last weekend.   
It actually is not a prequel.  And I thought it was quite good.  
I liked the straight forward adventure plot:  Pirates look for fountain of youth.  Evil Blackbeard pirate.  Evil Spaniards.  Pretty mermaid is dragged along.  
Jack and Barbosa team up against Blackbeard.  Great action along the way.  
My kind of movie.


----------



## rune (Dec 29, 2011)

I enjoyed the first 3 movies, but this one..... hm.... its OK only because Depp is in it


----------



## Warren_Paul (Feb 2, 2012)

I'm leaning towards saying this is the worst of the four, Penelope Cruz's character was so weak compared to Elizabeth Swann, see I can't even remember her character's name, that's how unmemorable she was.

Unfortunately it looks like she will be back for the fifth movie as well, if the teaser at the end of the credits is anything to go by.

And don't get me started on how terrible Barbosa was in the fourth, I'm not sure what happened to his ability to act during the time between the third and fourth movies but I felt he dropped the ball with this one.

The first movie was a masterpiece, but then everybody knows that. I still enjoyed the second and third, but they are gradually getting worse.


----------



## Mouse (Feb 2, 2012)

I thought it was better than the second and third one. 

The Penelope Cruz and Jack Sparrow fighting each other scene but we don't see her face exactly was pretty much exactly the same as the Salma Hayek/Puss in Boots one from Puss in Boots. (Which film came first?)

Notice how I never remember the names of female characters?


----------



## Starbeast (Feb 3, 2012)

Hmm, I'm hearing a lot more positive reviews lately. I'll give it a chance.


----------



## ddawson (Feb 18, 2015)

Still haven't seen the movie, but have read Power's book 5 or 6 times and loved that as much as his other books.  Afraid I'll be disappointed since this one was added in last.  Thought whoever wrote the first 3 movies must have read his book, regardless of where they got their ideas and images.


----------



## BAYLOR (Feb 26, 2015)

It wasn't as good as the first film but I still liked it. I look forward to the next installment.


----------

