Johnny Depp and Disney are back again in a 4th attempt to make money off an amusement park attraction. This latest installment is not quite the same as the other 3 since it does not have Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) or Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley). Instead we find Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Hector Barbossa, and Captain Blackbeard all searching for the fountain of youth. The addition of Penélope Cruz worked nicely as her role made for many a laugh as well as an intricate part of the story. Along their travels they encounter the British and Spanish navies, zombies, and mermaids.
In my case, I went to go see the movie in IMAX 3D. IMAX movies have always been good to me. The large screen and high power sound system coupled with tempurpedic seats makes the experience enjoyable. However, the 3D in this movie seems like it was more of an afterthought. Time after time, it seemed like it was flat images just moved forward, instead of being filmed properly like the effect in the movie Avatar. This left me struggling to grasp the sense of realism that came with the amazing set designs and special effects.
Speaking of special effects, they were excellent. I really thought that the way the mermaids were done made them seem very realistic for a fantasy creature. The fight sequences were well choreographed and seemed to time perfectly with the environmental elements that were part of the surroundings.
All in all, the movie was good. The movie might not have much of a plot, but it’s full of the classic one-liners and expansive special effects that I have come to expect from the other movies in the series. It’s no wonder this movie grossed more than 350 million worldwide this opening weekend and I expect it to do even more over the coming weeks and the possibility of a 5th movie in the series.