
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
2011, Adventure/Action, 2h 16m
278 Reviews 100,000+ RatingsWhat to know
critics consensus
It's shorter and leaner than the previous sequel, but this Pirates runs aground on a disjointed plot and a non-stop barrage of noisy action sequences. Read critic reviews
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Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Capt. Jack Sparrow
Angelica
Blackbeard
Barbossa
Syrena
Philip Swift
News & Interviews for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Critic Reviews for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Audience Reviews for Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
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May 27, 2017After the original trilogy, there wasn't much story left to tell with Will and Elizabeth, so Disney wished to continue the franchise putting a heavier focus on Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow. On Stranger Tides featured Sparrow at the center of everything, which can be a good and bad thing. I don't necessarily think it was the best idea to make Sparrow the only character with significant depth, but I also don't think having the story involve mermaids and an overly powerful supernatural villain either. The Pirates films at their best when the stakes are high but are also grounded with some realism. One of the reasons At World's End is a much better film is because there are stakes in that film. William's sacrifice feels earned because we've been with these characters for a few films. I never connected to anyone in On Stranger Tides because the writing never makes a considerable effort to flesh out the characters. The efforts that are made aren't very committed. As a standalone sequel, which is essentially what this film is, On Stranger Tides is far from awful. It has plenty of fun swashbuckling action scenes that the franchise has always presented. Ian McShane is pretty good as Blackbeard, though he doesn't really compare to anything Bill Nighy or Geoffrey Rush did in the original trilogy. But the film itself presents a far goofier tone than any of those films. Sparrow is even more over the top (believe it or not) and thus removing any human connection to the characters. I think it's best to treat this entry as a distant cousin people choose not to acknowledge at a party, because it has next to nothing to do with any of the other films (even the most recent film, Dead Men Tell No Tales). There are flashes of the Pirates we know and love but it's nowhere near as grandiose or as magical as its predecessors. +Flashes of greatness -Forgettable -Characters are getting a little too over the top 5.6/10Thomas D Super Reviewer
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Aug 20, 2016A horrible film in my opinion. This uneccesary sequel to a very successful trilogy ruins the whole first three movies reputation. Its plot simply has no interesting points and its action is way off from the first three movies. Very disappointing. And its hefty budget is wasted as I was expecting better.
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Mar 24, 2016Actually got a kick out of this 4th installment of the series, better than I cared for the 3rd, and Penelope Cruz is a big reason why. Well, and mermaids. Ships shooting fire? Over-the-top. But the rest? S'good pirate movie fun. Who woulda thought that this series would become Depp's big contribution to film? Did even Depp think it? He's great. G. Rush? Great. The whole magilla ... great. I had given up on the thing, but they pulled me back in.
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Jan 24, 2014I see people rating this over Verbinski's sequels. A lot. Wh... Why??? Granted, Penélope Cruz is more gorgeous to see than Keira an infinite number of times. They took Orlando Bloom out of the context and made Depp and Rush come back again. Still, somehow, the film manages to be a total bore, saved for some old-Hollywood-style swashbuckling action more predominant than the previous multimillionaire and intense PG-13 CGIed action shown in the previous installments and Jack Sparrow's character, who still remains an unequalled irreverent character thanks to Depp's unique (and bizarre) acting talents. Moreover, lack of unpopular characters has never made an entire movie better. This entry now makes Rob Marshall an official entry into my "Most Boring Directors Working Today" book (yes, that includes that particularly overrated musical of 2001, so I apologize for the fans). I love it when Penélope Cruz curses in Spanish. 47/100
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