Movies

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Kaya Scodelario and Johnny Depp star in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.” Rated: A-III, PG-13. DISNEY | CNS

CROP_PIRATES-CARIBBEAN.jpg

 

Flashy but unsatisfying fifth installment in the theme park ride-based franchise that first set sail in 2003. This time out, series stalwart Johnny Depp, once again playing eccentric buccaneer Capt. Jack Sparrow, joins forces with a young science scholar (Kaya Scodelario) whose learning has led her to be charged with witchcraft and an equally youthful sailor (Brenton Thwaites). All three are seeking the same magical artifact, each for a different reason. They’re pursued by the British navy, by the ghost of one of Sparrow’s old adversaries (Javier Bardem) and by a living but one-legged freebooter (Geoffrey Rush). Directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg’s special effects-driven adventure is long on spectacle but short on human interest. Parents willing to overlook some adult punning may give mature teens the go-ahead to board, however.

 

Watch out for: Much action violence with little blood, brief implications of adultery, a single gruesome image, occasional mature wordplay, at least one crass term.

 

Rated: A-III, adults; MPAA:  PG-13

 

Related Articles