Andy Summers 🤠’s review published on Letterboxd:
When I first saw this film back in 2011 I was more than a little disappointed. We had no Keira, no Orlando, and no Gore Verbinski. The fact that they threw Penelope Cruz into the mix did excite me and with mermaids and the Fountain Of Youth as the new object of everyone's desire, this should have been another fun filled adventure. So what went wrong?
At World's End had felt bloated amid all the CGI as Disney attempted yet again to empty every parents pockets. Some of it worked, a lot of it didn't. Rob Marshall's film however struggles from the very start. The script which always gave Johnny Depp the chance to shine, was pedestrian and lacking in originality even with the added romantic overtones involving Cruz. Ian McShane's turn as pirate legend Blackbeard was one of the highlights aside from some decent visuals and the return of Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa. Rush has been the one ever present element in the franchise who has continued to impress but it's hardly surprising for an Oscar winning actor who always seems to bring his A-game regardless of the film. Here as a privateer under King George he is also tasked with finding the Fountain Of Youth before the Spanish and Blackbeard. He also has revenge on his mind after the loss of the Black Pearl and his leg, which was severed by Blackbeard. The plot of course is another ridiculous one that relies on old legends and tall tales from sailors. Everything leads to Whitecap Bay and the mermaids tears required for the Fountain's elixir to work its magic. Along the way of course are Jack's usual eccentricities and the stunts come thick and fast as they take over from a plot light on ideas.The back-story to Captain Jack and Cruz's character Angelica's romantic involvement is fleshed out well but never quite convinces. Cruz of course is a beautiful woman but there is a lack of chemistry between the two, something didn't look right. It became evident that you never saw Cruz from the waist down, and of course it turned out she was heavily pregnant during the filming and lacked the movement required for such a pivotal role. Again some of it works, most of it doesn't.
This should have spelled the end for Disney's franchise, but alas we're getting another one in 2015-16. Another cash-cow? I would think so.