Cinemanalysis: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

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Dead Men Tell No Tales recaptures the spirit of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and provides a tidy conclusion for the franchise.

Beware there, mateys! This review discusses the plot of Pirates of the Carribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Summarizing, non-spoiler thoughts are contained in the first paragraph. Also, some of the links contained herein discuss plot points. Proceed at your own peril. Thar be dragons ahead!

Non-Spoiler Summary

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is the latest installment of the Pirates franchise. After the previous installment, 2011’s On Stranger Tides, Dead Men Tell No Tales reclaims the narrative and soul of the franchise. While On Stranger Tides abandoned what made the Pirates movies work, Dead Men Tell No Tales reclaims those story elements and mixes the super natural and curses, seafaring adventure, swashbuckling, and just the right amount of humor to cap off multiple story lines from the franchise. New cast members blend nicely with established Pirates veterans to expand and conclude the Pirates of the Caribbean lore and story. While it isn’t the success that The Curse of the Black Pearl was, it is a worthy conclusion, if it is that, to the series.

SPOILER REVIEW

Dead Men Tell No Tales relies on lore established primarily in the previous three films to set up a new grand adventure for Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa, Mr. Gibbs, and a crew of pirate misfits. Pirates fans remember Will Turner’s death and salvation in At World’s End, the conclusion of the then trilogy of Pirates films. Although audiences empathized with Will’s fate to ferry the dead to the afterlife, he at least survived with the promise to see his beloved, Elizabeth Swann once every ten years.

As it turns out, fate was far less kind to Will Turner. His fate is a curse of its own. The dead haunt him, and an existence of serving as their caretaker soured. Now, nineteen years later, his grown son seeks to free Will from the curse. To do so, he needs the Poseidon’s Spear (the McGuffin of the fim), which legend says can break any curse of the sea. Who better to help him find it than Will Turner’s old ally, Captain Jack Sparrow and a lady scientist scheduled for execution for witchcraft?

Plus, no legendary tale would be complete without a villain. As Jack’s Fate would have it, an old enemy has a curse of his own, and he needs Jack to break it. Dead Men Tell No Tales combines fine performances from returning and new characters, fun swashbuckling adventure, and familiar themes into a fun and enjoyable act that is potentially the swan song for the Pirates franchise.

The Returning Veterans

By now, Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, and Kevin McNally (Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa, and Mr. Gibbs respectively) have reprised their roles enough times that there is no question on performance. Each actor comfortably inhabited their role admirably, and none of them appeared bored. Depp seems to relish the role of Jack Sparrow, and why not? After all, Jack is a man that talks and acts outrageously, and the consequences, if there are any, are only ever temporary.

The Fresh Faces

Brenton Twaites and Kaya Scodelario are the newcomers to the crew.  Brenton Twaites plays Henry Turner, the son of William Turner and Elizbath Swann. Henry is desperate to rescue his father from what is now considered a curse. Twaites was cast well. He certainly passes for the offspring of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. In addition, he carries the same sincerity Orlando Bloom did portraying William Turner in The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Kaya Scoldelario performs admirably as Carina Smyth. Orphaned as a child, Smyth’s father left her a journal containing a map “no man can read.” The film introduces Smyth’s character in prison as a priest awaits her confession before execution for witchcraft. However, Scoldelario plays Smyth with zeal, and she refutes the accusations made by men in an age that refuses to accept women as scientists and scholars. Furthermore, Scoldelario’s Smyth is a non-believer in the supernatural until it chases her down a beach and threatens to kill her.

Inevitably, Turner and Smyth develop an affection for each other that takes a romantic turn. Much like Bloom and Knightley before them, Turner and Smyth have chemistry. That isn’t to say they recreate the romance of the earlier films. Like William Turner and Elizabeth Swann, who came from working class and the aristocracy, they too come from different worlds. Although this time the difference between Turner and Smyth is one of belief. Smyth, unlike Swann, was only unattainable by a degree of intellect, not class.

The Villain

Javier Bardem turned in perhaps the best performance. As a former pirate-hunter that met his defeat at the hands of a young Jack Sparrow, Bardem’s Captain Salazaar yearns for revenge. Bardem lends a fierce determination and ruthlessness to his character to create yet another memorable villain in the Pirates pantheon of villains. If Bardem’s Captain Salazaar has a weakness, it is that his character’s motivations aren’t unique. Like Captain Barbossa and Davy Jones before him, Salazaar has an axe to grind with Captain Jack Sparrow for a past misdeed. In fact, Salazaar’s curse is not too different than the curse Barbossa suffered under in The Curse of the Black Pearl. Regardless, Bardem makes the most of what he had to work with and his performance is vicious, cruel, and masterful.

Familiar Themes

 Deadman Tell No Tales recycles themes from earlier films in the series. Henry Turner begins the adventure by seeking a cure for the curse his father carries. Similarly, Will Turner’s quest to free his father from Davy Jones clutches provided his motivation in Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End. However, the difference is that Henry doesn’t betray his comrades in the process. In that way, he is more innocent than his father and more closely resembles the younger, more naïve Will Turner from The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Similarly, Jack Sparrow is without a ship. Again. If there is a constant in the Pirates franchise, it is that Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Hector Barbossa are destined to clash over the Black Pearl. Barbossa lead a mutiny against Sparrow in the past and claimed it for himself. Ever since then, the two clashed over who is the rightful commander of the vessel. This film is no different. Although Captain Jack rescued the Black Pearl from Blackbeard in the last movie, it remained trapped in a bottle. This time, Barbossa had the key to its freedom. Once it was free, however, Jack and Barbossa resumed their gamesmanship for command of the vessel.

Caricature of Jack

The weakness of Dead Men Tell No Tales is that Jack Sparrow became a caricature of himself. In The Curse of the Black Pearl, Jack was cunning. Up until the climax of the film, audiences could never be entirely sure whose side he was on other than his own. He stumbled and bumbled enough, but there was no doubt that he outsmarted every other character in the film. The exception to that rule was Elizabeth Swann on the rum runner’s island, but he even turned that incident to his advantage. Jack was brash, but he was charming.

Over the course of the franchise, Jack’s guile waned. Rather than cunning, he often appeared dimwitted with occasional flashes of brilliance or cleverness. He certainly had funny dialogue, but he sank to the level of the pirates that sailed with him. By At World’s End, he went mad and his mind fractured into multiple personalities that he talked to throughout the film.

Unfortunately, Dead Men Tell No Tales begins with that same sort of Jack. In fact, it got worse. Despite engineering a heist of a bank vault, he plays a largely passive role in the caper. Furthermore, he bottoms out. His crew abandons him and he sells his last prized possession for a bottle of rum. Things begin to change at Jack’s execution. However, he never regains his cleverness. Instead, he exhibits insight which he uses to tease and manipulate Carina. The movie redeems his character by the end of the film, but it isn’t quite the same.

Dead Men Tell No Tales – The Final Act?

Walt Disney Pictures marketed Dead Men Tell No Tales as the final Pirates adventure. However, the post-credit scene teased a returning character that could send Jack and company on yet another adventure. Jerry Bruckheimer also declared the fate of a sixth film in the franchise is in the hands of the fans. The opening weekend domestic box office for Dead Men Tell No Tales topped $62 million. Although that is less than On Stranger Tides, the film already recouped its production costs in worldwide ticket sales.

However, should no further films arrive, Dead Men Tell No Tales wraps up the franchise in a tidy bow. Will achieves salvation. The Barbossa legacy lives on, although not as one might think. Jack Sparrow has the Black Pearl, and the world is his oyster. All the surviving characters can ride, or sail as it were, off into the sunset. Despite some flaws, Dead Men Tell No Tales is a worthy conclusion to the franchise. Five films isn’t bad for a franchise inspired by a theme park attraction. Assuming it is the final installment of the franchise, then drink up, me hearties! Yo ho!