Part four of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, or rather the first part of the second trilogy, is called On Stranger Tides. Strange they were. Will and I went to see it last evening (in 3D) at the IMAX theater at Boston Common. I thought it was pretty good. Not great -- you don't expect Pirates movies to be great -- but decent and a welcome change from the dreadful third episode. It has a new director, Rob Marshall, and unceremoniously dumps Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley. But overall, the quality of acting has improved dramatically with the reigning British Bad Guy: Ian McShane. Penélope Cruz really was good too although in her case, it's more the mascara than acting skills that prevail. Much as I love Geoffrey Rush for his excellent acting skills, he is definitely not suited to play the one-legged pirate. I enjoyed the mermaids, with their wondrous tails and powerful swimming strokes, although of course the movie was careful not to show any other parts of their anatomy!
The plot was definitely ridiculous but it at least held the story together. Normally I avoid reading the Boston Globe reviews before a movie. Their reviews are always completely hopeless in my opinion. Nevertheless, Ty Burr pretty much nailed it this time (I read it after seeing it). My only complaint is that he only mentioned Ian McShane in passing -- he deserved much more credit.
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