Pirates 4

I'll admit that I wasn't overly eager to see this fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The appeal of the films seems to have petered out due to convoluted plots and cliched dialogue, and, in my opinion, the third film was kept afloat solely by Johnny Depp's exploits as Jack Sparrow, which weren't emphasized nearly enough. It seemed like high time to end it and move on to something else.

However, I did have some hope for the fourth film when I heard that it wouldn't contain the Orlando Bloom/Keira Knightley subplot, which I was never overly fond of. Both actors did a fine job in their assigned roles, but their supposedly passionate love affair seem to drag the  films down instead of enriching them. Finally, I thought, maybe Jack Sparrow will have the screen fully to himself; really, that's all I've been waiting for.

After I saw the trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, however, I lost hope. It appeared that Penelope Cruz had been brought in mainly as Sparrow's love interest, which was, in my opinion, unacceptable. Sparrow must remain a detached vagabond; there's simply no other interpretation of the character. I also objected to the introduction of Captain Blackbeard--really, do we need yet another bad guy for Jack to waltz in circles around?

So my excitement going into the film was minimal. Prepared to be disappointed, I was, instead, pleasantly surprised. While I wouldn't call this a "good" movie, it did continue the tradition of the first film in offering a satisfying pirate flick, with impressively original characters.

What sets the characters in this series apart is their relative complexity and moral ambiguity. In most of the other pirate films I've seen (which admittedly isn't many) the pirates are all either good or bad. But Jack Sparrow dances between sides with a lithe grace, out only for his own survival. He's clever, but never malicious--he runs from danger, but he rarely intentionally causes harm. He may sway back and forth on the voyage, but when it comes down to the climax, he often does the right thing--to the surprise of everyone, including himself.

This however, leaves the filmmakers in a quandary--they must have some sort of villain, in order to spice up the plot, and Jack, in his odd position, serves as neither villain nor hero. So they've offered us a series of truly "bad" pirates, much more serious and much less fun than Jack, so we can enjoy watching him make a fool of them. They've also supplied us with a few bland, pretty-faced boy heroes, who Jack prods for their naivete, but secretly sympathizes with.

I think On Stranger Tides offers the most compelling incarnations of these two categories: bad pirate and bland hero. Blackbeard is truly evil and immoral: "It's simple," he declares, "I'm a bad man." Unlike the other "bad" pirates--Davy Jones, Barbossa, he doesn't engage in a power struggle with Jack. He just stares him down, and Jack promptly scurries out of the way. In the end, he's fooled by trickery, not confrontation. Creativity is what it takes to bring him down, and Jack has plenty of skill at "improvisation."

In the bland hero department, this film presents us with the subplot of a young missionary, bent on saving the pirates' souls, who falls for a pretty mermaid. Sam Claflin is dashing and low-key; he doesn't attempt to steal Jack's thunder and does perfectly well as a pleasant aside. I can also see him shining in larger roles in the future, maybe not in this franchise, but certainly beyond it.

The plot, as usual, is secondary; something to do with the fountain of youth, with a bit of historical political drama thrown in. It's even more convoluted than usual, offering plenty of opportunities for CGI scenes and Jack's daring escapes. Although the ride may seem dizzying at times, it all works out in an odd way, and Jack, of course, gets off scott-free. Silly of me to worry about him attaching himself to that girl. He's never allowed himself to be tied down before; never has, and never will.