There is no doubt that the “Pirates of the Caribbean” films have been a whopping success, but after the fourth, we started to get the idea that writers seem to be stuck in a rut. The constant repetition doesn’t give us a lot of continuity. Number five is being billed as the “beginning of the finale” according to co-director Joachim Ronning so we’re not really sure how many more are in line for production. A little fresh water would bring some life to the stale pond as we look at the stuff that happens in every single POTC movie.
Defeating supernatural beings
Yep, we know that there are going to be more dead pirates that returning to the land of the living. We see the in the first three films religiously. It was novel in the first film but after the third run this thread was badly worn.
Who’s out to get Jack this time?
Barbossa and Jack have an ongoing competition over who gets to be Captain of the Black Pearl. There is always an antagonist that is out to get him for something he has done to them in the past. This could be an attempt at character development but all it really reveals about him is that he has some deviant tendencies. It doesn’t really show any evolution of the character Jack Sparrow.
Will they ever find the elusive island?
It might be nice to finally find the island that no man can find. This would lend some resolution to one of the plot elements. The writers should consider it in one of the finales, perhaps even the last one as they lay the franchise to rest.
Different faces but the same old characters
We get that Will and Elizabeth had a complicated romance at first. He was the son of a pirate and she was unsure about the whole thing. Of course, they fall in love and it’s a done deal. Let’s take a look at Henry and Carina. He’s also the son of a pirate and has lost his dad, like Will. She is unsure about getting involved with a pirate and it takes a while for her to warm to the idea of living the life of a pirate. Here’s the kicker…she follows in the footsteps of Elizabeth and gives in. A twist might have breathed some life into the story, but it didn’t happen.
No continuity
There is a consistent lack of continuity in the story and in this case, consistency is not a good thing. The first three films were a long and dragged out story that went together well enough, but On Stranger Tides turned the focus on Sparrow, mostly because Knightly and Bloom refused to return for another film. We never do get a solid storyline and the information shared about past events is bandied carelessly without any real substance. Are they shooting for some mysterious elements?
If so, it’s not working. The fourth movie isn’t a continuation of the story but it doesn’t make a lot of sense either. There are occasional references to events that happened from the first film such as Jack’s experiences with the East India Trading Company, and a few references about the bad guys in the the other two films, but they don’t really contribute anything useful to the current film. Many of the musical cues are the same and we’ve learned what to expect when we hear them. There is no real surprise involved here.
What’s up with the compass?
As the franchise has continues we’ve seen Jack lose his compass nearly a half dozen times. He has always recovered it, but what is the significance? Is this something that the writers are saving for a grand revelation in the last installment? We certainly hope so but are not convinced that it will happen. About all we really now is that in “Dead Men Tell No Tales” is the compass is betrayed it releases your greatest fear. We haven’t seen that happen yet but it might make for a great finale.
Final thoughts
There are multiple outworn elements in the POTC films. It would be a real treat to have a grand finale that pulls all of the missing pieces together. Although they have not been presented in any cohesive way, there is still hope. All could be pulled together in an unforgettable last installment. We may be missing the point though. It’s possible that cliche is the intention of the writers.
Follow Us
