Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

     Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides follows Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) on his journey to the fountain of youth.  Along the way he stumbles upon Angelica (Penelope Cruz), the old flame who got away.  As luck would have it, she too is on her way to the fountain; her and her father, the dreaded Captain Blackbeard (Ian McShane) that is.  The whole time Jack cannot tell if Angelica is just using him to get to the fountain, or if there is something more to their relationship.

     Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) has traded in his pirate hat for a powdered wig as he left the “losing” side for the king’s navy.  Although he looks less like a pirate in that respect, he gained the iconic wooden leg after losing his own, making him more of a pirate than ever.  The Black Pearl has once again been taken hostage, this time by Blackbeard.  

     The pirates-led by Blackbeard, race the Spanish, and the navy to the fountain of youth.  There is a few switches in alliances and some voodoo weaved into the story, but what would a Pirates movie be like otherwise?  Will Jack find the fountain, gaining eternal life, or will he find eternal love along the way?

     I give this movie a 48 out of 10.  I LOVED it!  This movie, although it is the fourth in the series, stands by itself.  Critics say that the movies have run their course and do not have Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly, therefore it should not have been made.  Those people do not understand the Pirates saga.  Those characters’ story lines have ended, and what the movies are about now are different pirate legends. 

     What I cannot stand about critics, is that it is one thing to praise someone’s work or to say that you did not care for it, but to criticize and degrade someone else’s hard work is disgusting.  What makes some 30-year-old guy living in his mother’s basement qualified to say what was wrong with something such as a movie?  You can give your opinions all you want, and people can take them or leave them.  But when you have the audacity to say that a movie should not have been made, was a waste of film, that the actors are doing it just for the money, or that the writers have no talent, then you are being ridiculous.  EVERY movie (no matter how boring some people may find it) takes a great deal of time, effort, and talent to make.  Unless you yourself can physically do what you are critiquing BETTER, then you have no right to do so.  Build people up whenever possible, but be cautious when tearing others down.

     Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is rated PG-13 and runs 2 hours and 17 minutes.  It was filmed in 3D on location (the first movie to EVER do so), and is playing in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D in theaters everywhere.