“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” Movie Trailer Review

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”

Movie Trailer Review

By our guest blogger, Joel Crabtree

It’s nice to see a few familiar faces among a summer lineup that consists of so many frosh franchises looking to get their start (“Thor,” “Cowboys and Aliens,” just to name a couple). But there is no face more welcome to the silver screen than that of Captain Jack Sparrow.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” the series' fourth installment loosely based on Tim Powers’ novel, takes everyone’s favorite anti-hero on a quest to find the Fountain of Youth with Geoffrey Rush’s Barbossa in tow. On the way, of course, they’ll come across mermaids, zombies, a fiery Penelope Cruz and Black Beard, as portrayed by Ian McShane (a great casting choice).

There are a few key pieces missing from “On Stranger Tides,” namely Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly and director Gore Verbinski, with Rob Marshall (“Chicago,” “Nine) taking his place. Changing a working formula is always disconcerting to fans, but just wait a minute before you get your pirate shirt in a ruffle. All of the signature “Pirates” touches are here in the trailer: Captain Jack’s swaggering mannerisms (a yelp at the 1:23 mark lets us know that he’s in rare form), Hans Zimmer’s rousing score and exotic locales.

One of the lingering concerns with “On Stranger Tides,” has been whether Marshall is up to the task, especially after his box office and critical failure “Nine.” The trailer reassures us that indeed he is.  He seems to return the series to its adventure-driven roots, relying more on swashbuckling battle scenes (something that should be a mainstay of the franchise) than special effects. There’s an absence of CGI, which is a nice change of pace.

Fans can only hope “On Stranger Tides” is the beginning of a new “Pirates” trilogy with Marshall at the bow of the ship.

Below is the trailer for “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” The film hits theaters May 20, 2011. What are your thoughts?