Yahoo News Pirates of the Caribbean 5 review round-up
Pirates of the Caribbean was supposed to be going back to basics (i.e. back to being good) – but did it live up to its promise? (Well, Orlando Bloom's promise.)
The first reviews are in, and the critics have had their say. Here's a brief extract from our review...
"Instead of the convoluted plots that weighed down the previous sequels, Pirates 5 opts for a streamlined approach that centres on a good old-fashioned quest for buried treasure – and the result is the best Pirates of the Caribbean sequel yet."
You can check out our full review here and read on for highlights from the first critics' reviews for Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge below...
"Now, 14 years and four films later, the Pirates franchise has finally delivered exactly what cynics had expected all along. Containing only the faintest traces of the spark that turned this once unpromising idea into a nearly four billion-dollar enterprise, Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is a mercenary, visually unappealing exercise in brand maintenance. The franchise has lost a bit of its luster with every successive installment, but never has a Pirates film felt this inessential, this depressingly pro forma."
"Despite its limp zingers and a phoned-in star performance, this episode - directed with little distinction by Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg, of 2012's Kon-Tiki - hits enough familiar notes to continue its predecessors' commercial success, keeping a small city's worth of VFX artists employed until Depp decides he can't be bothered any more."
The Guardian (2/5)
"Dead Men Tell No Tales moves at a faster rate of knots than any Pirates film; trouble is, nothing has really been added. It's the same soggy ride, set to a marginally preferable speed."
The Telegraph (3/5)
"There's no question they've recaptured, or at least synthesised, some of the essence of the original Gore Verbinski film. But the gonzo-Wagnerian backstory the franchise subsequently built up hasn't been sufficiently pruned – and with so many characters to juggle, the story feels less like a coherent chain of events than a bundle of obligatory subplots."
The Independent (2/5)
"With the fifth instalment – Salazar's Revenge (or Dead Men Tell No Tales) - Johnny Depp's swashbuckling Jack Sparrow returns, once again sailing the seven oceans, chasing booty, and drinking rum. Nothing's changed. As a result, this quasi-reboot-retcon, which basically ignores the events of On Stranger Tides, retells an all-too-familiar story, just with new characters and improved CGI."
The Mirror (3/5)
"It's a pleasure cruise of spectacular CGI sea battles, decently choreographed stunts, ghostly pirates, and a comedy monkey.
"But what seemed fresh and quick back then is now brackish and slow. Struggling with personal difficulties during filming, Depp gives a sometimes tired and possibly emotional performance."
Empire (2/5)
"Not the return to form you might have been hoping for. Its story might cover all the same beats as the 2003 original, but there's little of that film's spark or spirit."
"Dead Men Tell No Tales is miles better than On Stranger Tides, and those who wanted a more grounded and less fantastical adventure may prefer it to Dead Man's Chest and At World's End."
Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge hits cinemas May 26, 2017.
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