Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is not as good as the original film, but superior to the bloated sequels that followed. Coming in at a comparatively lean two hours and fifteen minutes, Pirates 4 is a shining example of Hollywood's ten pages and a bang theory. For every ten pages of script, there's an action scene inserted to keep the audience interested. This time around the action is mostly swordplay and fisticuffs. Gone are the elaborate special effects and CGI laden characters. Disney and Producer Jerry Bruckheimer learned their lesson from the mega-budget sequels. Pirates 4 is a whopping $100 million less then the last film. They wisely trimmed the fat to deliver a more swashbuckling, Captain Jack Sparrow centered story.

On Stranger Tides opens with Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in merry olde England. An imposter has leaked word that Sparrow is looking for a crew to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. The quest for the Fountain has attracted the attention of the King of England, the King of Spain, and Sparrow's deadliest enemy yet - the sinister Blackbeard (Ian McShane). A series of captures, and escapes, finds Sparrow under Blackbeard's command - leading his search for the fountain. They are in a race with the English, who are led by Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) - Sparrow's longtime nemesis, and the Spanish; who are in possession of two key artifacts. To complicate matters, Sparrow also finds himself allied with Angelica (Penelope Cruz), a jilted ex-lover in desperate search of the Fountain's power.

Pirates 4 is a big action film, nothing more, nothing less. It's a popcorn movie to the core. Director Rob Marshall and the bevy of screenwriters are working on pure formula here. They have a guaranteed hit. Make it cheaper, shorter, and not as detailed to bore the twelve year olds of the world. I, suprisingly, am not against this methodology. The veneer of the franchise is gone. They would have had to work a creative miracle to match the glory of the first film. They play it safe, which essentially allows them to start over and capitalize on new adventures with better storylines. I see this film as the reset button to a better series.

Johnny Depp owns every frame. Sparrow is such a great character for him to explore. His nuances are well known, "That's CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow, if you please", so it gives him the chance to take more chances. He really props up the film, single-handedly. I believe this is another calculated move by the filmmakers. They got rid of all the boring old characters, and put their faith in Depp's lead. Some will argue Disney could have worked on a better, more intricate plot, but I don't fault them at all for making Pirates 4 the Johnny Depp show. They have t-shirts, kids meals, video games, rides, and whole sh*tload of merchandising riding on this, so they sure weren't going to take any more chances being creative.

I found the 3D exhausting to the eyes. The film jumps from being visually bright, to being very dark, with little in between to allow the eyes to adjust. It looks great, no complaints there, but anyone with eye issues should take off the glasses every now and then to avoid eye fatigue. So in summary, Pirates is worth seeing, just don't expect anything more than a set-up for (hopefully) better films.