黑眼圈漸漸變淡

The ultimate challenge for a franchised blockbuster made by a major film studio is about what to include and what to forgo.

In the latest episode of Disney's popular franchise Pirates of the Caribbean, this time suffixed with "On Stranger Tides", the iconic Johnny Depp is back again as the swashbuckling and charismatic Captain Jack Sparrow, still with his dark circles and in his always hygiene-challenged costume.

His new shipmates include Angelica, played by the charming Penelope Cruz, who is a former lover of Captain Jack and forces him on board to find the Fountain of Youth, along with another two ships racing for the treasure.

To make the fountain water work, they have to mix it with the tears of a mermaid. And an adventurous hunt for a mermaid, an alluring but lethal species living around the White Cap Bay, turns out to be the most engrossing part of the movie of all. Even if Depp's portrayal of Captain Jack has become nothing but set in stone and Penelope fails to stir up viewers』 emotion in her new role, the mermaids make the whole movie float and imbue it with enough thrills, twists and novelty.

All the nice additions to the movie are brought on by the franchise's new director Rob Marshall, whose most noted work is the Academy Award Best Picture winner 芝加哥. So his expertise in movie musicals also works wonders in this pirate-themed action movie. In one scene, while Captain Jack and Angelica talk and dance on the deck, the melodious tune and the rhythm of their conversation and move mesh together so perfectly that you could be enchanted by the scene's lyrical grace.

But not all the new stuff looks good on the screen. Most disastrous is the movie's 3D effects. Either due to a tight budget or technical ineptitude of the production team, the dismal and dark frames do nothing but hurt your eyesight.

Nevertheless, with all the freshness and what the director tries to remain, among which are exotic settings, witty dialogues and thrilling actions, the blockbuster is worth setting sail with in this summer movie season.

On my 1 to 10 movie scale, I give Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides a Seven.