Dead men tell no tales (Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge 2017)

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Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge

 

 

 

8/10

 

 

 

 Finally we are back on the open seas with a return to what made the first film as god as it was. With Orlando Bloom returning as Will Turner to join, what I think is Johnny Depp's best role, as Jack Sparrow, Rush as Barbossa and introducing Javier Bardem as Captain Salazar, Brenton Thwaites as Henry Turner and Kaya Scodelario as Carina Smyth, this was on my must watch list for the year. One my recent trip to Florida, I visited Disney World and was invited to a special screening of one of the scenes from this movie and I loved it. With a great musical score that has become so iconic, it's crazy to think that this franchise has evolved from a theme park ride and although the forth instalment was weakest, I hope this movie gets it back on track. Changing the title from 'Dead men tell no tales' was maybe a master stroke in hoping to introduce a new character and a clue to what the movie shall be about. Let's set sail into this new adventure.

We open with a young Henry Turner in his bedroom a shuffling about and packing a bag, looking at the way we see a tally chart being marked off with the title, 'Dad's curse'. Instantly I know that this is Will Turner's boy and he's after his dad, rowing out to sea and tying some rocks to his ankle to sink down to the ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman. As his father walks out from the darkness, he explains how he wants to break his curse and have him home for good. He will find the Trident of Poseidon with the help of Jack Sparrow but Will doesn't want this, all he wants is his son to be safe and definitely to stay away from Jack. With a parting gift of Will's rebuff, thinking its a lost cause, he sends his son back to the surface as the ship sinks to the depths once more. Nine years later pops up at the bottom of the screen and we see Henry aboard a British ship which is following pirates into the Devils Triangle. Realising that no ship should sail that way, he tries to warn the Captain but instead is arrested for treason and is looking in the brig. As the ship sails in, it quickly turns dark, foggy and eerily silent. Sure enough things don't go well we pan out and see men running towards the ship from a ship wreck. Ghosts are attacking and killing everyone, with some sharp camera angles we don't really see the leader, only his legs and then quick glimpse as he throws someone into the fire. Moving downstairs we finally set our eyes on this gruesome character with CGI hair that makes it looks like it is constantly in water, black ooze spilling from his mouth and face cracked and ghostly white, he walks towards the cells and picks up a wanted poster for Jack Sparrow. Facing Henry, he tells him that is will leave him alive to tell the tale but also to pass a message to Jack. A message that he is coming for him and bringing death with him.

Onto the Island of St Martin and I remember that this is where my preview started. A young woman is locked in a cell receiving her last words from a priest before her execution as a witch. She keeps in occupied with her words whilst she picks the lock, knocks him out with the door and makes a run for it. She in fact isn't a witch but it knowledgeable in astronomy and horology. Else where in the town there is an unveiling of a new bank and it's safe, a speech about how good the safe is, is actually quickly a mistake as the door opens and there sleep Jack. Falling out drunk, with guns pointed at him, a woman wakes up and she's the wife of one of the local snobs. The rest of his crew are around the back of the bank with ropes tied to horses ready to steal the bank but instead of pulling I through the wall they take the whole building in a great sequence, dragging it around the town. Falling from the building, Jack walks into an astronomers building where the escaped female Carina also is. Already she has moved the telescope to a better location with the owner walking in with a sexual innuendo of, 'No woman has ever handled my Herschel', I don't doubt that mate. She runs off with Jack but soon after he splits up so that everyone chases her instead and he jumps back onto the Bank until it hits a bridge and only the safe is left being towed back to his parked ship on a hidden beach. Upon opening, nothing is left inside but one single coin, its all fallen out in the escape. The crew are massively angry by this and finally give up on their Captain, leaving him alone and even Gibbs has turned his back on his friend.

Henry is still a prisoner but was found washed up and taken to hospital where he shall await death. In his sleep, he's been speaking of ghosts, the Trident and more sea myths. Because of this, Carina has disguised herself as a nun and is questioning him for help on searching for the same treasure but doesn't believe about the myth side of things because science only speaks to her. She has the map that no man can read, but she can, simply because she is a female. She needs a ship and a crew and that' Henry's job. By now Jack has drown his sorrows and is on his way to the pub for some more, trading his famous compass for a bottle of rum. This trade sends shock waves through the world, sea and men as the Devils Triangle sinks, releasing Salazar and his men to seek out revenge. Carina helps Henry escape only to be caught, so does Jack and both are led to cells until morning. Whilst in her cell, the blood moon reveals the map she needs to find the Trident, as Henry steals a uniform and makes his way to speak to Jack about helping him to help his father. He's disappointed finding Jack as a washed up drunk as the offered is refused. Both Jack and Carina are brought to the gallows for execution but on the way, Jack stops by a cell and has a short exchange with his pirate uncle, played by Paul McCartney. They love casting a musician. Into the courtyard for execution, Jack choose the guillotine whilst Carina is led to the noose. Henry watches on and swings into action as Jack's old crew have been rounded up for help and they shoot a canon ball into the stage that hold Jack, swinging him around with each turn making the blade narrowly miss his neck. The laughter continues as the fighting draws near the level for the loose, everyone is expecting it but it's still a fun scene. The level is finally knocked but Carina is caught by Henry as Jack escapes being tied up and now everyone makes their way to Jack's ship, The Dying Gull. Jack is back to his normal self, wanting his crew to pay to come back and they tie up Henry and Carina, wanting them to lead the way to the Trident.

Else where on the seas, Barbossa is enjoying life aboard Blackbeard's ship, full of riches and a crew that love him. He finds out that some of his ships are being smashed to pieces by Salazar's boat that we see has become some sort of massive shark which lifts at the front like a jagged mouth. Freaking out, he wants to meet a witch and ask what Salazar would want with him but she explains that it is the Sparrow that he is after. She has come into possession of the compass and gives it to Barbossa to help him find Jack and hand him over to Salazar. Their ship is soon found by the pirate hunter and the two meet. After agreeing to help him find Jack, it's finally time to learn of what really happened to the Spanish Captain. Many years ago, he was hunting down pirates and killing thousands as he went by. After many ganged up at the end, one ship was left sailing away in the fog, one that a young Jack was aboard and after the Captain of it passed the compass to him, he laughed at the Spanish Navy, at the top of the mast, like a little Sparrow. Salazar named him! Quick thinking, he tricked the Spaniard into following him into the Triangle but quickly used ropes to turn the ship as his enemies carried inwards. A destroyed ship, explosions and death ensued but the power of the Devils Triangle brought them back as ghosts. Now he seeks the Trident to kill Jack and every last pirate that ride the waves.

Aboard the Gull, Jack notices a growing love attraction between Henry and Carina and decides to exploit this. He threatens to throw Henry over board unless Carina tells him where the map is. After they follow through and Carina has a frightened reaction, she finds him overboard but lying in a little boat, absolutely fine. She has told them that the map is in the stars. There is already plenty of humour between the whole crew and although it isn't major, it's still uplifting. More sexual innuendoes carry the story a little more forward with Jack giving Henry advice on women but wanting payment for it. Henry says, 'I'm not paying for that!', to which Jack's reply is, 'Never say that to a woman!'. Now it's the whole crews turn as Carina explains that she is a Horologist and everyone thinks that it's a prostitute. Some great back and fore goes ahead until she gives up explaining. Soon the Silent Mary, Salazar's boat shows up an the crew quickly demand a mutiny to which Jack, Henry and Carina are in a little boat rowing towards and island as the Gull sails off and away from Salazar. Now the race is on to get to the island before the hunters arrive. We see on their ship that they are releasing corpses of dead sharks into the water, becoming alive once Salazar gives them orders. Back on the little rowing boat, Carina is underdressing, ready to swim for shore and get away from Jack because he's the wanted man. As she takes her dress off, Jack is loving it and so is Henry who is loving the fact he got to see some ankles. In the end Henry is ready to jump ship too as the sharks have already started eating the boat and leaping over to trying and snap them. Sending a hook into one of the sharks mouth, just as the ghost crew run on water to get him, the boat is pulled towards shore picking Henry up along the way until the crash on shore. The crew cannot step foot on dry land or they evaporate so for now, the trio are safe. Carina now sees ghosts for the first time up close and runs off into forest and gets trapped in a net. Salazar vows to wait for Jack. After finding Carina, they also get caught in another net.

Jack wakes up tied around the neck and in a wedding scenario where an old friend who he screwed over wants him to marry his ill sister as repayment. Some more humour ensues before Barbossa arrives to save Jack because he's made a deal with Salazar again to get on land and catch Jack. He needs something off him, he wants the Black Pearl that we have already seen is inside a bottle in Jack's pocket. Once it's freed, the ship starts to grow and finally gets back to it's normal size once it hits the water and a little stand off between Hector Barbossa and Jack see Barbossa as it's new Captain. Barbossa wants to get the Trident in order to take back the seas which he hadn't long been in control of until the dead set sail. Whilst sailing, Jack is tied to the mast and Carina is leading the way following the stars. Barbossa steps up to talk to her about how she got the diary and accuses her father of being a common thief which she doesn't take well. After knowing that she is named after the brightest star, he knows he name is Carina. Leaving with a distant look in his eyes but an emotional face it's easy to understand what is happening, that's Barbossa's daughter. Jack realises this and Hector tells him that he gave her up as a child to an orphanage. He really doesn't want anyone to know an threatens Jack. So far we can see that a major side part of this film would be parents and their children.

Eventually they reach the island just in time as Salazar has turned up and a battle starts as they crash into the shore. The crew from both sides fight upon the Pearl as Jack and Salazar fight on top of the canons, leaping back and forth until they get below deck on the Spanish ship and once Salazar's attention is drawn, Jack is gone. Running aground onto the island means that the ghosts cannot follow but instead Henry is grabbed and brought aboard the Spanish ship. The points of the island matches the stars but one red one is missing and what is needed to light it, is the jewel that was on the diary. Once it's put in place, the sea divides and leads down into a pathway to the Trident. Back aboard with the hunters, Salazar possesses Henry and chases after our heroes attacking Jack until he grabs the Trident and frees himself from the body. Using it to fling Jack around and try to kill him Henry wakes and with the help of Carina they know they need to destroy the Trident in order to break all curses. In doing so, the Spanish crew return to their normal state, to their enjoyment and a massive wave is sent throughout the ocean, which is probably the end to each curse. Gibbs and the others have dropped the anchor down with Hector clinging to it to save the rest of the crew. Once the trio are caught, the sea slowly starts to close on itself and the Spanish crew panic to grab a hold of the anchor too. Salazar succeeds, closing slowly to the crew and Carina is the one he's climbing near. Barbossa grabs her as she slip and doing this reveals the tattoo on his arm, which is the same as the stars on the cover of the diary and she realises they are known to each other. He calls her his treasure, just as he grabs a sword, leaps and digs it into Salazar, taking him down to the depths with him and in slow motion we see the father and daughter making eye contact as he's made the ultimate sacrifice to save her. Disappearing into the surf, the whole crew is in mourning and in awe of what their Captain has done. Carina is now making sure that she takes Barbossa's name.

We move forward in time and Henry and Carina are now standing on a hill, assuming that they are now an item, which is confirmed with a kiss, Henry looks through a telescope to see a ship, the Dutchman and his father walking across a field. Will walks to him, free of any curse and thankful to his son for what he's done. As they look up the hill we slowly see Elizabeth Swann emerge and begin to run at them. This was a great touch to end the movie and I was constantly wondering whether she was going to be involved or just spoken about. Jack is once again Captain of the Pearl and sets sail for new adventures. After the credits Will is sleeping and his door opens with a shadowy figure walking in until we see the claw of Davy Jones. He wakes, thinking it is just a dream but as the camera pans out there are tentacle marks visible across the floor.

I really enjoyed this and after seeing it twice, was able to enjoy it that bit more. Starting with the musical score that is up there with some of the best, the special effects and look created for the ocean, ships and ghosts were second to none. Bardem was brilliant in my eyes creating such a demanding figure on the screen that your eyes were constantly drawn to and was a truly scaring figure. It was good to see the whole cast back together and Depp was born for this role. The action scenes held humour and fighting sequences that were both eye catching and fast paced. As mentioned before there was an undertone storyline of family but it was good to see a movie that competed with it's first of the franchise. If there was a bad part to the story though, it would be that now all cures are broken, I would be a little worried as to where we would go now but the after credits may have already revealed that. It looks like we are heading back to the main storyline of the second and third instalments. For now though it was a good sequel but we can tell that this franchise could be a cash cow but hopefully we can get fully back on track.