Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

It is getting harder and harder for Johnny Depp to live up to the pure awesomeness that was his first appearance as Captain Jack Sparrow.  The initial time we see him, sashaying off the sinking boat down the dock, is priceless and unforgettable.  In the fourth edition of the Pirates enterprise Depp is back along with a host of familiar faces, as well as some welcome additions (Penelope Cruz in particular).  We also are missing some standards, in Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, but honestly I think this film fares better without them.  Keira's character was going downhill, becoming less and less interesting and more and more annoying, making Penelope Cruz a sweet refresher.

As an aside, I find it amusing that all the pirates look pretty gross - sunburned weathered skin, yellow teeth, and basic scraggliness - except for our beloved Depp with his tanned skin and perfectly manicured facial hair ::sigh::

The film was a tad long, as sometimes these can tend to be, but overall it was actually better than I expected the fourth installment to be.  There are those over-the-top sequences, but also plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and creative fighting choreography.  CGI not quite as impressive as in previous Pirates, but costume and make-up were top notch as usual.  Additional Mermaid/Missionary twist was interesting... a bit of a stretch, lending to some curious loose ends that required a bit of creative thinking, but otherwise a much easier film to follow than the third movie in the franchise, which had so many plot twists you wonder if even the writers knew what was going on.

P.S.  Cruz had the best pirate hat I think I have ever seen.  Well, maybe not... hard to remember all of them... but still, it was amazing and I would totally wear it.  If you ever see it anywhere, let me know ;)