Customer Reviews

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Two-Disc Blu-ray / DVD Combo in Blu-ray Packaging)

5 star:		(111)
4 star:		(75)
3 star:		(64)
2 star:		(29)
1 star:		(32)

 

 

...and after the sound thrashing the critics gave it, I was not expecting to.
No spoilers, I promise.

Is it worth seeing in the theater?
Did you enjoy the first three?
Then the answer is a resounding yes.
I think the critics were expecting more of a rebirth for the franchise and that's not what this movie is.
It's called part 4 for a reason lol.
It's a definite continuation.
It was a little weird not having Orlando and Keira there but the new actors brought a wonderful new dimension to the film that after a few minutes I didn't miss Orlando or Kiera...not that I wouldn't mind seeing them in a future installment.
Ian McShane and Penelope Cruz were wonderful and perfect for this film.

So what was good?
Pretty much everything.
It's a Pirates of the Caribbean movie folks.
It's got action, action, and more action.
I've heard other complaints that it was paced too slowly.
???
Are you kidding, for a two hour plus movie this flew right by me.
The acting was excellent.
The score, pacing, cinematography was perfect.
A lot of people were turned off by the story line in part 3 and yes, it had it's moments of who's on first, who's on second, who is double crossing who in what scene from the next.
"Stranger Tides" does not suffer from this.
The story was interesting and enjoyable but not difficult to follow.

What didn't I like?
The first half of the movie is VERY heavy on action with little bits of dialog in between the chaos...not enough dialog actually.
The second half of the movie cuts back on the action and gives us way more character development and story.
The second half was actually much more enjoyable for me as the first half felt a tad unbalanced.

That minor gripe aside..if you loved 1,2 and 3 of the Pirates franchise, you'll enjoy this.
Not a rebirth but a darn good continuation of a series I love.
The magic has NOT been lost...
Funny.
A great story.
Incredible acting from everyone.
Entertaining.
Action...lots of it.
Can't wait for part 5.
Highly recommended.

In recent years, we've had franchises return for a fourth installment. Indiana Jones. Die Hard. Rambo. Scream. All of varying worth. Many critics say that these long running franchises returning for a 4th film never live up to the hype or to the series they are a part of. Well, 'Pirates 4' comes along to change all that. It is a sequel, coming 4 years after the last one(which is like 10 years in this generation where last week is old), it is a part 4, and it's wonderful. Critics say otherwise, but this is one movie where the audience has spoken, and they are loving it.

I could go into the story, but why bother? By now, everyone should know that Capt. Jack Sparrow(Johnny Depp)is back, and he is journeying to the famed fountain of youth, along with old foe Barbarossa(the great Geoffrey Rush), evil Pirate Blackbeard(the even better Ian McShane), and old flame Angelica(Penelope Cruz) who may or may not be Blackbeard's daughter. Along the way, our characters run across exciting adventures and scary mermaids.

First of all, people and critics were quite vocal on how the two sequels were too complicated, over-stuffed, and confusing. Thankfully, this latest adventure simplifies the material in a way that harkens back to the wonderful, and now classic, original 2003 film. There is now B and C storylines to dampen down the festivities. Everything is pretty simple and crystal clear and easy to follow along. In fact, the whole movie has such a refreshing air to it, that it really does go back to the original. The immense charm of the original film with Depp's Sparrow and humor is here in full force. The magic is there. The fun time, popcorn blockbuster is there. Part 3 was disappointing and was missing most of this, but it's here in spades with part 4. Also in abundance is the action. Part 3 was so long that the action felt few and far between. Here, there is plenty of action. The movie never slows down and is never boring. Ever. New director Rob Marshall keeps things moving at a fun and brisk pace. It's continuously watchable and gorgeous, like all the others, to look at. It is, without a doubt, the most fun and entertaining movie in the franchise since the first one.

The cast is great. Johnny Depp is these movies. People come to see him in this role and he doesn't disappoint in this one. He seems more alive, lively, refrshed, and as amusing as ever. Elsewhere, you will be wondering "Orlando and Keira who?" You won't miss them. Penelope Cruz holds her own as Angelica. Rush is as great as he always is in the other films. And then there is Ian McShane. He is just cool. Blackbeard is a character to be reckoned with, and McShane is so evil and icy cool, that he owns every scene he is in. There are new characters littered throughout the film, but none of them really bring much. I will say though, that the actrss who plays Serena the mermaid, and I don't remember her name, may be one of the loveliest beauties I have seen on the silver screen in some time.

The critics have not been kind. Some have been downright savage, and I cannot understand why. The audienc I saw it with clapped at the end. "On Stranger Tides" may not be so strange, but it delivers what everyone wants and hopes for in a Pirate's movie. Easily the best of the sequels, the movie is great fun. It has a new zest of life and has a sharp script filled with rousing action, some great dialogue, and some great humor. What more can you ask for? I am a huge fan of the franchise. Part 3 was not what everyone wanted, but "On Stranger Tides" does a great job of steering this mighty franchise back on course. Part 5 cannot come fast enough!

On stranger tides follows the continuing story of Jack Sparrow after the end of At World's End. Taking place several years later, after Jack's map lead him to a dead end, he continues the search for the fountain of youth. I could say that the movie was OK, but suffered from several issues that just did not put it on par with any of the previous movies.

The first issue was the antagonist, Blackbeard. Although he had a dramatic intro, after that, his character just waned. He was not intimidating, scary, or even particularly piraty. At no point could they decide what supernatural powers to give him, so they toss him a giant hodgepodge of whatever was convenient at the time. As a result, one minute he has the mystical power to control rope, another moment he can shrink ships into bottles, another moment he can resurrect the dead, no, he can make voodoo dolls, wait, he can control the wind? His ship has... a flamethrower? They claim him to be evil, and spend the entire movie declaring how evil he is... but he doesn't perform a single evil act in the entire movie. He kills a mutineer and captures and leaves to die a vicious mermaid who murders people... that's it. Other than that, for a pirate, he was actually a pretty decent guy.

This leads to the next problem, they make all the other characters "good" so that Blackbeard seems evil in comparison. Pirates and thieves are suddenly altruistic and noble. Blackbeard's evil deed is being the only character in the movie that actually acted like a pirate, and not even a good one. This comes nowhere near the backstabbing, thieving, and traitorousness of the pirates of the first three movies. Suddenly Jack and Barbossa are best chums, this new girl which people keep saying added "much needed sex appeal" looks like a Latino stunt double of Swan. Her motivations, once again, despite being allegedly corrupted in evil, are completely altruistic and unpirate like.

The final issue is how every scene was done. I swear the directors and writers sat down with the scripts of the first three movies and said, what is your favorite scenes from each movie and how can we shove them all into one? Oh, I loved the scene where the Kraken grabs all those people up. Ok, let's have that scene with magical ropes instead. Oh, I love that scene where will and jack fight on the roof planks in the blacksmith shop. Sounds good, let's do that again with jack and that latin girl. How about that scene where Davy Jones pulls out the long cannons. Great! We'll make it a flamethrower instead! What about the scene where Jack escapes the soldiers. Sure, but we'll have him escape from the middle of the estate now! What about the turner/swan love interest. Yeah, we can throw some altruistic guy in their so he can sloppily be corrupted by pirates while falling in love with an "unattainable" woman outside his station.

So yeah. That was the story. We have the antiheroes who have just turned into heroes, the bad guy that is little worse than any of the good guys, "needed" sex appeal that looks no different than the last 3 movies, except latin now. We have almost scene for scene grabs from the original trilogy, more poorly done and in the case of the relationship, was so out of place it could have just been left out.

I give it 3 stars, because it was an OK watch, had it's fun moments with Jack Sparrow, and there was occasionally some witty dialogue or interesting scenes. However, ultimately completely unnecessary and anyone who love the trilogy could completely go without watching this.

My ratings are based mainly on the QUALITY OF THE 3D, not the video content.

Not counting the shallower effects, there are about 64 out of screen effects that extend about 10% of the way, from the screen to the viewer but approximately half of them are very quick. 2 effects made it to 20%, 11 around 25% and 5 more at 30%. The majority of the effects are after the first half hour of the film.
Honorable mention effects included swords being thrust through a door (20%) or being pointed towards you (30% 3 times), a boney hand (30%), flakes falling from an explosion (25%), and the grumpy monkey (25%). There is also a real nice 10% sequence involving a water drop.

The 3D in itself is very good but Disney did struggle with scene framing, focusing and lighting, to best benefit a 3D film. I should clarify that the focusing issue is just the blurring of foreground objects to draw the viewers' attention to where the director wants it. This tactic has been used a lot in recent years for normal movies but it is just not conducive to a good 3D viewing experience.

Don't get me wrong, this is a worthy addition to any 3D collection. 3D cartoons are easy to produce but for real life 3D, there is a definite learning curve.

*** Jack and the gang are great in 3D ***

MY 3D RATING = VERY GOOD (poor, fair, good, very good, excellent)

Note: As far as the percentages go, everyone's eyes are different. What I see at 25% you may see at 15% or 35%. To fully realize how far something is out of the screen for you, pause on an effect and direct a partner with an extended finger to the tip of what you are seeing. You may be surprised.

Click on `See all my reviews' for the lowdown on other 3Ds

Let me start this review by saying the 3 Stars is not for the movie itself, or necessarily the package, because I am sure it will be great. I myself, maybe I might be overrating it, but I loved this movie. I thought it was much closer to the fun and surprise of the first movie, and not the bad dialogue and pacing issues of the second and third. Depp was great as usual, the new villain was awesome, and the movie was so much fun! It wasn't flawless, but it was really good.

Now as for this package, I would be more than happy to buy it. However, Disney really did a good job of ripping off the buyers who don't have a 3D TV.

This is not the only edition of the movie on Blu-Ray, but this is the best one to buy. The five disc set consists of The 3D Blu Ray disc of the movie, a standard Blu Ray edition, a special features disc on a REGULAR blu-ray, a DVD copy, and a Digital Copy of the film. So what's the problem? Well me myself, I do not own a 3D player, but I love special features on Blu-Ray discs and for DVD's, so I like to buy the edition where I can have all of my special features.

However, what Disney did with this release is they put the standard Blu-Ray disc with all of the special features ONLY IN THIS RELEASE! In the other Blu Ray release of this film, it only includes the movie on Blu-Ray and the Movie on DVD. No special Features Disc to be found, but it is in this version.

This is really scummy by Disney because not only do standard people who don't want a copy of it in 3D get ripped off of special features, but also us who like our features will have to dig out some more money to pay for it. This edition is about 5-10 dollars more expensive than the standard Blu Ray and not only because of the extra disc, but because of the 3D!

It really makes me annoyed because I love special features, and I thought this movie was really good! But I am going to have a tough decision to make whether to buy this edition or not. I don't know, what do you guys think? Me myself? I might not even end up buying the movie because of this. Darn shame, I was looking forward to getting it.

It's not easy to impersonate Captain Jack Sparrow. For one thing, he's got that mincing walk. Still, someone's going around passing himself off as our favorite pirate, recruiting sea hands for a run at Ponce de Leon's mythical Fountain of Youth. And this poser isn't the only one after the key to life eternal. The Spanish are curious. The British are curious because the Spanish are curious. Edward Teach, a.k.a. the notorious pirate and dark sorcerer Blackbeard, is another buttinski. And, the honest-to-gosh real Captain Jack Sparrow, who had just about given up his own quest for the Fountain of Youth, reinvigorates himself to the cause. He has a map and all.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES is a hell of a long title, and it's a fairly long movie. I liked it enough that I'm recommending it. But I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous three films (including the way over-the-top AT WORLD'S END). Turns out, I missed Kiera Knightley and Legolas something fierce. Turns out, Jack Sparrow is better served when he's coming at you sideways, when he's not featured as so obviously the central character. Partly, it's that, at this stage, we know that Jack Sparrow is a good guy, no matter that he walks like a silly ponce and that he sports sinister gold teeth and heavy eyeliner. By now, it's difficult for the film to employ trickeration on a savvy audience. And Jack Sparrow loses a bit of something when you know without a doubt that he's an honorable scoundrel. Even if he's still peculiar in his habits and methods.

Saving the ever reliable Geoffrey Rush, Johnny Depp has no actor with enough of a presence for him to effectively bounce off from, and right there I guess I just elevated Orlando Bloom's acting chops. The new characters don't resonate for me, not Penelope Cruz's winsome pirate's daughter (and Sparrow's old flame), not Ian McShane's cursed Blackbeard, and certainly not that actor who plays the uncharismatic missionary/clerk/all around boredom-on-legs.

Hell, I even miss that short, bald pirate and his mate with the wooden eye.

No surprise, the film is visually stunning; it looks very good. It's loud, bombastic, and drawn out. The f/x and stunts are rather spectacular. As ever, Jack Sparrow's antics are to be appreciated. I particularly liked the scene in the British king's palace, in which the movie audience sees a captive Jack, in delightful off-the-cuff fashion, plan and stage his eventual escape, a key component of which is that chandeliered dessert.

The film tries to distract you with plot candy such as lost magical chalices and mermaid's tears, and zombies and a Keith Richards cameo. But it all feels like filler. There's something missing from the core of the story. And Jack Sparrow, unruffled and odd and improvisational, is still best when utilized as misdirection. But, for that to be, you need someone else to also focus on. That missionary dullard sure can't cut the mustard or capture big screen interest. Which leaves Jack shouldering the hero tropes. Here, he's clearly the hero and central protagonist and even the lead in the love story. Jack, you've gone all domesticated, yo. It doesn't quite suit you.

I will say that Astrid Berges-Frisbey, who plays the mermaid Syrena, is a stunner. I do challenge the laws of gravity which always seemed to place her hair in such a strategic way that Disney is able to maintain its PG-13 rating.

If there is one thing that is consistent with "Pirates of the Caribbean", you know that this film will make a ton of money in the box office.

And while many thought that the "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" was finished with the third film in the trilogy, "At World's End" would be the last we would see of Jack Sparrow. But the truth is, that no matter how film critics have shown their declining interest in the film, the audience have not.

And with the release of the fourth film "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", once again, the audience have shown their love for this film as it became the 8th highest grossing film of all time (worldwide), the third highest grossing film of 2011 and following "Dead Man's Chest" and "Toy Story 3', the third highest grossing film for Disney. The film which cost anywhere between $150-$250 million to make, earned over $1 billion in the box office.

VIDEO:

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1). And as one can expect from Disney, the picture quality is fantastic. The majority of the film is shot outdoors, at sea or during day or night and for the most part, detail is high, skin tones are natural and blacks are deep and inky.

And once again, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski should receive credit for his spectacular cinematography, from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films to "Alice in Wonderland", Wolski is an expert in shooting in the darkest of scenes, underwater, in smoke and chaotic sequences and there is no artifacts, banding or any problematic situations in the picture quality at all.

Overall, "On Stranger Tides" is a fantastic looking film and looks absolutely wonderful on Blu-ray!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

What best than to present this film with a lossless English, French and Spanish 7.1 DTS-HD HR presentation. The surround channels are heavily used in Hans Zimmer's wonderful score to the swordfights, the sound of boots walking on the deck, the sound of blasts, the growl of the mermaids and scenery ambiance, and throughout all this immersive sound, dialogue is crystal clear and understandable.

The LFE for the film is wonderful and like the wonderful picture quality of the film, the lossless audio soundtrack is also fantastic!

Subtitles are presented in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES

"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" comes with the following special features:

Disney Second Screen - Viewers can watch the film simultaneously through their iPad or computer.
Disney Second Screen Bloopers of the Caribbean - (3:25) Outtakes rom the making of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides".
Audio Commentary - Featuring audio commentary by director Rob Marshall and executive producer John DeLuca discuss the cast members, the making of the film and its challenges during production and more.
LEGO Animated Shorts: Captain Jack's Brick Tales - (5:19) Featuring five Lego animated shorts for "Captain Jack's Brick Tales".

EXTRAS:
"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" comes with a slip cover case. The Blu-ray release comes with the DVD presented in widescreen 2:40:1 - Enhanced for 16×9 televisions, English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital and subtitles in English SDH, French and Spanish.

JUDGMENT CALL:

When it comes to popcorn action films "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" manages to incorporate the fun, swashbuckling action of Jack Sparrow and Johnny Depp does a wonderful job of playing Jack Sparrow. But one's enjoyment is subjective, especially whether or not you have felt that your passion for the film series is starting to wane a bit.

After the third "Pirates of the Caribbean" film, I have to say that "At World's End" left me feeling bitter because it was not a great film to end the trilogy. But because these films make a tremendous amount of money, there is no way that we are going to see an end to this film series. In fact, a fifth film is being planned and Johnny Depp is returning, so as long as the audience continues to come out to see the films, I don't see why Disney should stop. People still love "Pirates of the Caribbean".

Personally, I enjoyed the film but unlike previous "Pirates of the Caribbean" films, it felt a bit light when it came to Jack Sparrow because there is so much emphasis on other characters. In fact, I found myself enjoying scenes with the Christian Philip (played by Sam Claflin)and the mermaid Syrena (played by Astrid Berges-Frisbey), which for me was the replacement characters for Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann (Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley's characters for the previous films). But unfortunately, where Turner and Swann had staying power for three films, not sure if we are going to see Philip or Syrena ever again.

While "On Stranger Tides" continues to be a fun, adventurous popcorn action film, I did enjoy seeing Penelope Cruz playing the character of Angelica Teach, a compassionate/cutthroat ex-lover of Jack Sparrow and Ian McShane as the legendary dark pirate Blackbeard was quite fun to watch as well. And seeing Barbosa, it was no surprise to see his return to the film as well.

But "On Stranger Tides" tries to showcase many other characters as well and truth be told, aside from Gibbs who has a place in the PotC films, everyone else didn't. For example, in the first film, there was a sympathetic feeling towards Sparrow and his crew, but this time around, you really had no sympathy for anyone's crew. If anything, you just wondered when will Jack Sparrow be back on his ship instead of being Indiana Jones/Blackbeard's grunt. This is one side of Jack Sparrow that we have not seen in previous films and I'm not sure if I like him in such a non-commanding role.

But however one feels about "On Stranger Tides", similar to films like "Transformers", these are popcorn action films that people come to see and have a good time, not for anything deep or mind-blowing. You get action and a ton of special effects and in that sense, "On Stranger Tides" does not disappoint.

But when it comes to this Blu-ray release, one thing that does disappoint is the fact that we are getting far less than the five disc version when it comes to special features. Picture and lossless audio is fantastic but I was surprised to see only three special features including the audio commentary included with this release. But it appears that Disney really is pushing for the 3D 5-disc version which has nine special features over its 2-disc counterpart which has only three minus the second screen.

Overall, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is a fun film and from the crew fight on the Queen Anne's Revenge, Jack Sparrow's escape from British custody to the encounter with the mermaids, there are many fun action scenes in this film. But in terms of story, I still prefer the first original film, but there is no doubt that the visuals and overall production design is much improved in this latest film.

If you are a fan of the series and own the trilogy on Blu-ray, or you are just a big fan of the film or its talent, you're definitely going to want this film in your collection. But if you are wanting the best version of this film released on Blu-ray, you may want to look into the 5-disc version over this 2-disc combo pack as Disney chose to include most of the bonus features on the 5-disc release.

I am a big fan of the Pirates movies and Johnny Depp. The third one was my least fav but have watched it over and over. This movie was fantastic contrary to what the critics said. What is wrong with them??? Maybe they didn't see the same movie?? All the actors were fantastic, the storyline was great and fresh and the humor was at times rib splitting for me. The bed scene with Barbossa, Jack and the skeleton of Ponce de Leon is hysterical. Penelope Cruz did a great job as a pirate both going up against and laying down with our Jack Sparrow!! Lucky girl!! The story was new and different------but still had the same magic of the pirates and some of the old familiar faces and fall backs to the other movies and of course Jack's humor and tricks but added new faces and different locations. I loved it and highly recommend it! Can't wait till #5 comes out!

Here is a rule of thumb. Each Pirate movie is exponentially worse than the one previous. The first being a classic, the second being highly entertaining, but not quite as special as the first. The 3rd was a bloated mess. The 4th was worse yet with a pointless plot and phoned in performances by most of the acting core. I fear for the 5th, and based on my infallible observations, it will be less than garbage.

Do not buy this unless you are a DEVOTED fan of the Pirates franchise.

Though in some ways this is not my favorite Pirates of the Caribbean I still loved it! I loved the clergymen and the mermaid story and Cap'n Jack is always great!