Australian Penthouse

Director: Rob Marshall

Stars: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane

WALT DISNEY PICTURES

WHEN we found out that Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom had refused to reprise their roles in Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, we were a bit concerned. Did the world really need another Pirates movie or was Disney just flogging a dead horse with a cat-o’nine-tails? Well, we’re happy to report that there’s plenty of life in the old girl yet.

On Stranger Tides sees a ship-less Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) reluctantly embarking on a quest to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. After an encounter with a fiery former girlfriend (Cruz), he finds himself aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the flagship of the infamous pirate Blackbeard (McShane), who’s in a race to find the life-giving spring before the Spanish and the enigmatic Captain Barbossa (Rush). Blackbeard forces Sparrow to navigate the treacherous waters en route to the Fountain and the action doesn’t let up from that point on.

Penélope Cruz is excellent – not to mention incredibly sexy – as the scheming Angelica and Deadwood’s Ian McShane is perfect as Blackbeard. Plot-wise, the film is less muddled than 2007’s At World’s End and, as always, the visual effects are top-drawer.

Having successfully reinvented the franchise, Disney obviously has plans to make more sequels, and as long as Johnny Depp’s keen to wear the captain’s hat, we can’t see them failing to attract an audience.

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