Andy Howells and his family check out the latest Disney feature: Pirates of The Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge (12A) starring Johnny Depp.
Its 6 years since Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow last sailed on to the big screen, so movie-goers might be apprehensive about the return of Disney’s Pirates of The Caribbean series with the fifth instalment, Salazar’s Revenge (12A).
Apprehensions should however, be discarded at the box-office, as Sparrow is back on fine-form and up to his old shenanigans, this time pursued by his old nemesis Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) and a motley crew of deadly ghost pirates who have escaped the Devil’s Triangle, their mission to kill every pirate at sea, including Jack.
Captain Jack, with the help of new friends, Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) and Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) set out to locate the legendary Trident of Poseidon, an artefact that bestows upon its owner total control of the seas, but will their plans to overcome Salazar’s threat be thwarted by those of Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush)?
Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow
There are many wonderful qualities about the latest immersive, exciting and incredibly entertaining instalment and you don’t necessarily need to have seen the earlier films to enjoy it.
The films ability to shift mystery and adventure to slapstick humour at the change of a scene keeps the narrative captivating and exciting for all the family. This is helped by Geoff Zanelli’s atmospheric music score of which 13-year-old Seren comments, “It completes the action by adding to the drama”.
The film kicks off with a mysterious scene-setter prelude which leads into a comic sequence of events involving Depp’s Sparrow attempting to pull off the ultimate in bank jobs, the sequence which serves to introduce as the films heroine Catrina, is worthy of the classic slapstick sequences associated with Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Brenton Thwaites as Henry Turner challenges Depp and Scodelario as the third hero of the film and as the story unfolds all three prove their different qualities making for an exciting screen chemistry.
There are also a few returning faces, among them Geoffrey Rush’s Hector Barbossa and Kevin McNally as Jack’s right hand man Gibbs, both of which get their own moments of screen time and a delightful plot twist for the former.
No adventure film is complete without a baddie, and Javier Bardem, usually famed for larger than life psychotic bad guys is perfect as Salazar, striking fear into every character he crosses. Similarly, his crew of undead pirates, vultures and sharks produce some memorable and exciting scenes. Salazar was a favourite with 10-year-old Thomas who commented “As the film progresses and gets crazier, I loved him!”
To add to the experience, the film has also been shot in 3D and literally pulls the audience further in to the drama by doing so. 12-year-old Jonathan says, “It’s probably my favourite film, I’d recommend watching it in 3D as I felt the action scenes were so real.”
A great film for the family, Pirates of The Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge can be enjoyed on so many levels, technically and as a story, a rare jewel indeed!
- Pirates of The Caribbean: Salazars Revenge is screened at UK Cinemas from May 25.