A Movie Reflection by Ken - 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'

It has been a couple years since I had t' use t' english t' pirate translator. But now, t' pirate jargon has made a comeaft. Leadin' that charge, t' captain himself Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). His old nemesis Capt. Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) is once again sailing the seas. With him, he brin's t' went t' Davy Jones' lockerliest pirate o' them all. Blackbeard played by Ian McShane.

Okay ... I'll stop. There is a part of me that wishes they would stop, too. They being Walt Disney. This entertainment giant has managed to keep this theme park ride to movie franchise going, even though the two sequels to the original managed to confuse just about everyone.

In Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Jack is in search of the legendary fountain of youth. For those who remember the final scene of installment three, At World's End, Jack had found a map that would lead him right to it. The only problem is, Blackbeard is just as interested.

And what would a pirates movie be without a love interest for cap'n Sparrow. Penelope Cruz throws on the boots as Blackbeard's daughter Angelica. She quickly becomes a formidable antagonist for Sparrow.

If that doesn't interest you, there are mermaids, zombies, sword fights and, of course, lots of rotting corpses. It is like any of the three films you have already seen. Although the cast may be different, there actually seems to be too much Sparrow. It is hard to imagine, but there it is.

I did enjoy Blackbeard. McShane's grizzly character was interesting and mysterious. The problem is there just wasn't anymore than that. On Stranger Tides seems to lose itself in a labyrinth of storylines.

The playout of these stories make this a long two hours and 17 minutes. And, parents, the movie earns its PG-13 rating. Reconsider taking the little shipmates if they scare easy. The quote of the movie came two minutes in, when the 4-year-old behind me said, "Mommy, I don't wanna watch this. No! Mommy, I don't wanna." They stayed. Good luck at bed time.

Bottom line, it's a pirate movie. It's violent, there are sexual and alcohol refrences. It is also action-packed, funny and well-acted. If you enjoyed the previous movies, you should like this one, too. If you never saw a moment of the earlier films, you won't be lost. It stands on its own.

If you were wonderin' if thar  be a map fer a fifth pirate film, stay through t' credits, you may find that X after all.

Ken's Ranking: Pirates 4 - 2.75 stars - Yar, the scurvy dogs may like this one.