RELEASING: Walt Disney Pictures

CREW: Director – Rob Marshall; Story & Screenplay – Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio; Suggested By The Novel – Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, & Jay Wolpert; Based On Characters Created By – Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, & Jay Wolpert; Based On Walt Disney's – Pirates Of The Caribbean; Producer – Jerry Bruckheimer; Cinematographer – Dariusz Wolski; Score – Hans Zimmer; Production Design – John Myhre; Costume Designer – Penny Rose; Visual Effects Supervisor – Charles Gibson: Stunt Coordinator – George Marshall Ruge; Visual Effects Producer – David Conley; 3-D Supervisor – Rob Engle; Special Effects Supervisor – John Frazier; Visual Effects & Animation – Industrial Light & Magic; & A Cast Of Hundreds – Animators, Prop Builders, Special Effects People, And So Many More.

CAST: JOHNNY DEPP… Jack sparrow; PENELOPE CRUZ… Angelica; GEOFFREY RUSH… Barbossa; IAN MCSHANE… Blackbeard; KEVIN R MCNALLY… Gibbs; SAM CLAFLIN… Philip; ASTRID BERGES-FRISBEY… Syrena; STEPHEN GRAHAM… Scrum; KEITH RICHARDS… Capt. Teague; KEITH RICHARDS; RICHARD GRIFFITHS… King George.

SYNOPSIS: Capt. Jack Sparrow (Deep) returns for another adventure on the high seas that begins as he attempts to save his shipmate Scrum (GRAHAM) from the English hangman. When his plans go awry they are both taken prisoner by the British and Sparrow finds himself before King George (GRIFFITHS) where he learns that Barbossa (RUSH ) has been given an appointment as Capt. with the Royal British Navy. Things begin to heat up when Jack learns from them that the Spanish are on a quest to find the legendary “Fountain of Youth,” to which Jack holds a map. Upon his escape, Sparrow learns that there is another so-called Capt. Jack sparrow looking for a crew. The theft of his identity comes at the hands of the lovely and deadly Angelica (CRUZ), who he has made the acquaintance of previously, is masquerading as Sparrow in order to shanghai a crew to help our father, the infamous Capt. Blackbeard (MCSHANE), find the Fountain to prevent his death as foretold by a soothsayer. It's another epic adventure on the high seas venture with zombie shipmates, deadly mermaids, and the deadly enchanted Pirate ship The Revenge of the Queen Ann. ON STRANGER TIDES contains all the elements for another PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN voyage.

REVIEW: Exiting the theater a colleague remarked that PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES “was just silly.” In fact, my colleague found it “sillier than the previous three films.” I smiled because if it isn't silly, it isn't fun. Because from amusement parks to the beaches summer is about but troves of silliness and mountains of fun, which makes the latest entry into the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN franchise another perfect, or near-perfect, summer spectacular.

The film starts off with a lengthy chase sequence that has Mr. Depp performing physical antics that reminded me of the great Charlie Chaplin. The screenplay borrows from a variety of mythologies to lay the groundwork for ON STRANGER TIDES. As with the first film a lot of the plot contains seeds that will hopefully be explored in subsequent sequels. However, there is enough substance to the core tale that centers on Blackbeard and the quest for the Fountain of Youth to make this a satisfying stand-alone film. As you watch you can’t help being taken along for the ride and enjoying the thrill of the moment. Upon reflection, I felt the writers did a wonderful job of crafting a methodical script punctuated by an array of different mythologies and fantastical elements. One element I found particularly clever is how they address the Spanish quest for the fountain and what their motivations are driving on. That's just indicative of the overall quality of the story.

I enjoyed being reunited with characters from the first trilogy and found many of the new characters/actors up for the new adventure. It seems that the entire cast is just channeling the vast amount of energy that Johnny Depp brings to this fourth installment. I've been a big fan of Ian McShane since his DEADWOOD days and was extremely satisfied with his performance as Blackbeard. Of the entire cast the only actor who I didn't feel was as electrifying or was having as much fun was Penelope Cruz. She was adequate, just her energy wasn’t on the same level as the rest of the cast. It's kind of ironic because in the teaser, yes you have to sit through the credits a bit; she has a scene that is better than those other similar moments in the film. It's not something that detracts from the film, but it is noticeable.

Having sat through such recent 3-D films as "Thor" and "Priest," I have to honestly say I was blown away by the 3-D in ON STRANGER TIDES. Plus, the IMAX format gave the film a sweeping epic feel that, I know I'm going out on a limb here, almost felt to me like Cinemascope. The lush and lavish jungle scenes on the big screen in 3-D were remarkably immersive and one of the few times that I really felt the added cost to the ticket for the 3-D and IMAX was worth it. The sequences on the ocean were as impressive during the daytime scenes, but I felt it lost a little of that epic feel in the night scenes.

I’m a fan of Hans Zimmer’s work. In listening to the sound design and blending of the score it feels that they've upped the ante for those elements to match the 3-D and IMAX visual components of the film. While I notice these things in terms of the sound and score it wasn't something that was distracting or took me out of the film. It was more something I appreciated, that the filmmakers took the time to enhance and add another level to my enjoyment of the overall viewing experience with a dynamic sound design.

I'm a tad intrigued by the work of director Rob Marshall here. Marshall's previous credits include "Chicago," "Memoirs of a Geisha," and "Nine." It wasn't until afterwards that I remembered director Gore Verbinski didn't direct this film. It's interesting because this fourth film looks and feels like the other films, so kudos to the filmmakers and production team. It’s somewhat ironic because in retrospect having Marshall at the helm here feels reminiscent of what happened with the film "Poltergeist," where Tobe Hooper directed the film but it was produced by Steven Spielberg. Due to the production values and directing style of that film many people question whether Hooper had actually directed it. So given the overall package of ON STRANGER TIDES – production designs, screenplay, acting, visual effects, special effects, etc. – is the quality of this film a direct result of the studio and/or the producers, along with the performances, regardless of the director at the helm of the production? Something to ponder after you've seen the film.

I remember when there used to be really excitement and anticipation for summer releases. I was honestly as excited about seeing this film as I was in my youth for the next installments of “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones.” A fan of the original trilogy, the prospect of this fourth installment reignited that excitement and, for me, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES satisfied all my expectations. It's everything I remember a blockbuster summer genre film being and then some. While some people may be put off by the $20 3-D/IMAX ticket price I'm sure you'll find it’s well worth the cost and probably one of the only films I pay to see a second time this 2011 summer movie season. Other than being excited about seeing it a second time I am already chomping at the bit to see where they take the story in the fifth installment.

ON STRANGER TIDES official website - http://www.Disney.com/Pirates.

**Based on the regular $20.00 for a 3-D/Imax ticket prices at a Manhattan Theater.