When the first in the new pirates series--Curse of the Black Pearl--opened in 2003, the story was about Will Turner, the blacksmith who set out on a quest to rescue the girl he loved from evil pirates. Aiding in his quest was Jack Sparrow, a notorious pirate who had agreed to help in order to 1) escape from prison and 2) avenge a marooning that he had miraculously survived from. Turner succeeded in his quest and rescued his true-love.
This was not a great story. At the end Turner aids Sparrow in escaping from execution despite being certain Sparrow has no intention of actually reforming. Piracy is romanticized. However, at its core, the story's hero is an honest man who does the right thing.
The second and third installments further glorified the pirate mystique, but still kept Turner a crucial part of the story. In the end of (what was then) the trilogy, Turner agrees to leave the woman he loves to sail the world delivering deceased sailors to the afterlife simply because he knows he is the only one who will do it right. Likewise, despite Sparrow's efforts to seduce her, Turner's love also chooses the righteous blacksmith.
These movies were flawed, yes. In fact, they were bad. However, they were still a conventional story where (for the most part) the right thing to do was the thing praised.
All of this is lost in the fourth movie. Turner is gone, and the once supporting character Sparrow is now the protagonist. I say protagonist over hero since "hero" is not a word that can describe such a despicable character. On Stranger Tides glorifies everything that society once knew as wrong: cowardice, theft, womanizing, vengeance over the most petty of things, anarchy, and overall selfishness.
Sparrow is press-ganged onto the ship of the ruthless pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and must team-up with Angelica Malon (Penelope Cruz), an old flare who may or may not be Blackbeard's daughter, in order to reach the Fountain of Youth. Also on the way to the fountain is sometime-friend/sometime-foe Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush)--now missing a leg and working as a British privateer with Sparrow's sidekick Gibbs (Kevin McNally)--and a fleet of Spanish ships (Spain is at war with England). Complicating things is Blackbeard's captive Philip (Sam Claifin), a Christian missionary who doesn't want anyone killing mermaid Syrena (Astrid Berges-Frisbey), even if her tears activate the Fountain's water. Got all that? There is a test.
Berges-Frisbey and Claifin both give good performances that might bring them out of obscurity, and Cruz is charming enough. McShane's performance is passable, but his character (through no fault of his own) pales in comparison to the riveting personas of Barbossa and Sparrow. As the former, Rush (fresh off another Oscar nomination as The King's Speech's charming mentor) does an excellent job, revealing a corrupt yet exceptional captain who is by far the smartest guy in the crows-nest (this is also due to the script, which portrays the character in far more detail than its predecessors). As the latter, Johnny Depp (Sweeney Todd) is interesting enough this time around--hamming things up just a bit, and lacking the screen time to do something incredible, yet continuing his routine from the previous installments. All this doesn't matter, though: The better job Depp does, the more people become enamored with the character's moral depravity.
Director Rob Marshall (Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha, Nine) demonstrates an aptitude for creating a captivating fantasy universe. After At World's End, which was the most expensive movie ever made and had incredible visuals, it seemed impossible for the series to give us more fantastical imagery, but time and time again Marshall surprises us. Particularly cool is a lengthy attack sequence featuring the mermaids, which are effectively aquatic vampires. That said, Marshall does not give up his habit of using nudity to put butts in seats--putting a sexual element in a series that has hitherto been mostly clean.
However, Marshall and veteran Pirates writers Ted Elliot and Tony Rossio do a terrible job on the story. Sure, it is funny, entertaining, and slightly better crafted than the original three; that doesn't mean it has any more artistic merit than a Corn Flakes' box's nutrition label. Every second of the Stranger Tides has gross glamorization of a disgusting lifestyle; moreso, the audience is subjected to a hideous mockery of basic values in the form of the Spanish and English soldiers. In one particularly sickening scene, a Spanish army descends on the fountain of youth with the Catholic commander shouting his orders from the prince--to destroy the pagan landmark. Since the British are Protestant, there orders are different: Claim the fountain as their own. This in and of itself would be bigoted, but the scene gets worse. Knowing it will result in certain death, a British officer brandishes a Union Jack and stands on the fountain declaring the land for his country. The Spanish captain promptly kills him, but earnestly states that he is "impressed by the man's courage" and he should be "mentioned in the records." The pirates--and the filmmakers--react as if both country's adherence to any remnant of nobility are fools, and laugh, fire upon the Spanish, then run away.
It is disturbing to see the degradation of society. There was a time where bravery, adherence to religion, and pride in one's nation were considered worthy traits. From the portrayal of the English king as a clueless cretin to the nonchalant way Sparrow reacts to his father (played by icon Keith Richards) murdering an innocent British soldier, this films tramples all aspects of honor. It was not that long ago courageous British and Spanish soldiers died to free the Caribbean from ruthless pirates who murdered civilians just for money. Even now, the United Nations fights against the same problem in the area around Somalia. It is tragic that being a good citizen and good soldier are now such ridiculed behavior.
On Stranger Tides is sickening.
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