Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Review

 

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Dir: Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg

Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, Kevin McNally, David Wenham, Golshifteh Farahani, and Orlando Bloom 

In the dark, watery confines of a boat ride in one of Disneyland's most beloved amusements, a deep voiced ghost utters the words "Dead men tell no tales". It was the striking phrase that stuck in my adolescent mind after a family trip to California in the late 80's. 

In 2003 the film "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" was released as a summer blockbuster to very positive reviews; it seemed that a film could capture some of the nostalgia, some of the magic of a theme-park ride. Starring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, a trickster with an affinity for rum and treasure, in the role that would define the actor and directed by Gore Verbinski, who would go on to direct the trilogy of features for the franchise, the film was a highlight for the typically overwrought CGI-fueled summer blockbuster design.  

Unfortunately, subsequent films could not maintain the quality of the first film. Though it didn't seem to matter because audiences continued to flock to the theaters for more pirate adventures, with each film getting worse in the progression. Surprisingly to say "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales", the fifth in the franchise for those who stopped keeping count, is actually much more entertaining than the other sequels. That doesn't necessarily mean that the quality of the story or characters are much better than any of the other films, but at this point that doesn't seem to be much of a concern to the filmmaking team. What does concern them is that the audience returning to see this film is being entertained

The plot involves the expedition of two young people, a young man (Brenton Thwaites) looking for the legendary pirate Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) to help save his family and a young woman (Kaya Scodelario) searching for a treasure laid out for her in a journal that has been with her since she was born. Both are looking for the same thing, a magical and powerful object that will help change their lives. However, an evil is unleashed by the hands of Jack Sparrow, a ship with a decomposing crew lead by the vengeful Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem).

You've seen this film before, everyone knows this including the team behind the film. The story is a familiar one, a curse exists that unleashes one of the many vengeful myths that haunt the sea. And, before the title card flashes across the screen in this film the bulk of the story is introduced; we get an encounter with the bad guy, an explanation of the adventure that awaits, and the acknowledgment that the franchise favorite pirate is going to come along for the mission. It's quick and foolish but works in establishing everything that is to come. 

Gore Verbinski is responsible for establishing the style and structure of these films, and new directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg don't deviate too much from everything that has been initiated. In fact, they actually honor much of the good elements that came with the original film. There are some very distinct and fun set pieces introduced here, one that feels like an alternative scene from the original film involving a bank safe that defies the laws of physics, another that is pure summer blockbuster ridiculousness involving a guillotine, and one that needs only two words to sell a ticket...shark zombies. 

We've all seen Captain Jack swagger and prance in and out of situations numerous times before, so it's nice that his character plays somewhat of a supporting character here. The film suffers whenever Captain Jack gets too much screen time, which is surprising to say considering Sparrow was the saving grace for some of the sequels. The film wisely focuses on two new characters, Henry and Carina, giving them a nice balance within their individual journeys. Also good is Javier Bardem as Captain Salazar, the design of his character is exceptional and the performance fits the realm nicely.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" easily ranks near the top for this franchise. It's a return to everything that made the original film so good even though it doesn't do anything new. Instead the film focuses on the fun associated with a swashbuckling adventure and the quality that the supernatural elements can add to a story.

Monte's Rating

3.00 out of 5.00

Alice Through The Looking Glass Review

Alice Through the Looking Glass

Dir: James Bobin

Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, and Sacha Baron Cohen

There is a moment in “Alice Through the Looking Glass”, Disney’s sequel to 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland”, when the adventurous, strong-willed Alice commands a crew of men aboard a ship away from the attacks of charging pirates by going through treacherous terrain and narrowly escaping. Alice, in this moment in time, is living the fairy-tale life she has always chased, a life where the word “impossible” holds no merit. Unfortunately, in the next moment in time, she is back in the structured Victorian era reality of her hometown being laughed at by a group of businessmen who inform her that a woman’s place is not as a captain of a ship.

The aspects of time and authority play a big role in director James Bobin’s adaptation, a term used very loosely here, of Lewis Carroll’s novel “Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There”. Time, as Alice (Mia Wasikowska) muses, is a villain. One that stole the time she had with her father and continues to take from her life the older she becomes. Authority, especially with relationships, continues to manipulate Alice in ways that trouble and confuse her. The relationship with her mother (Lindsay Duncan), who has always wanted Alice to be a different kind of woman, is strained and filled with misunderstandings. While they both love and care for another, neither of them completely understand one another. Alice’s former fiancé Hamish (Leo Bill), an irksome and cowardly chauvinistic man, is still sore from being left at the alter by Alice. Hamish now runs the company that owns Alice’s ship; he tries to manipulate Alice into a desk job that he deems “fitting” for a woman. 

Just when things couldn’t get much worse for Alice, friends from the past, from her adventures in Wonderland, send for help. Abosolem (voiced by the late Alan Rickman) guides Alice through a mirror and into the realm of Wonderland. The Hatter (Johnny Depp) is in grave danger after finding an object from his past that leads him to believe his family, who were killed by the winged Jabberwocky, are still alive. Alice must travel through time to save Wonderland and her friends.

There is a great cast of actors seen and heard throughout “Alice Through the Looking Glass”. The roles they are tasked to play in this film may not always fit the talent that they have displayed in other roles; still it’s nice to see all these accomplished actors working. The voice work boasts the talents of Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Stephen Fry, and Michael Sheen to name a few. The actors on screen are Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Rhys Ifans, and Sacha Baron Cohen. That is an impressive cast. Too bad the product here wasn’t better suited to their talents.

 Johnny Depp was a struggle to watch as The Hatter in the first film, he is even harder to watch in this sequel. Anne Hathaway has a small but doesn’t do much except say a few lines with a heavy whimsical tone. Sacha Baron Cohen comes in to play the physical personification of Time; living in a castle-like structure that is shaped like a clock, the actor adds his signature comedic style throughout his scenes to garner a few laughs. Mia Wasikowska, who plays Alice with a mix of elegance and awkwardness, has a great presence on screening and holds many of the scenes together. These are exceptionally talented people operating in a story that is messy, contrived, and lacking in any kind of depth that makes the characters endearing.

Any character development or subtle emotional moment within a scene is consumed by the overindulgence of computer-generated effects. It’s hard to fault a film that is trying to create scenes of wonder and enchantment through physical structures and characters, the big and boisterous and blossoming scenery works when utilized in small amounts. Still, this extravagance of effects becomes distracting and takes away significantly from the characters in the film. Again, this is a film that consistently references the aspect of time and how it affects our lives in ways we may never understand, how we struggle with time taken away by death, how we struggle with aging. It’s a film that displays the structures of authority through relationships between a father and son, a mother and daughter, and two siblings. These are compelling aspects of storytelling that could have been utilized. While one could say that I am expecting too much from what is ultimately a children’s story, Pixar and Studio Ghibli have been making children’s stories with very mature subject matter for years with great success.

“Alice Through the Looking Glass” has small moments of potential; unfortunately these moments happen when Alice isn't in Wonderland. At nearly two hours in length the film struggles to stay afloat. This was partly because it exaggerated everything the first film did wrong and partly because it squandered good source material and exceptional actors in favor of unnecessary extravagance.

Monte’s Rating

1.75 out of 5.00

Black Mass Review

Black Mass

Dir: Scott Cooper

Starring: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Joel Edgerton, Jesse Plemons, Dakota Johnson, Kevin Bacon, Corey Stoll, Adam Scott, and Peter Sarsgaard

122 Min

Warner Bros. Pictures

In the 1970’s and 1980’s James “Whitey” Bulger was one of the most notorious criminals in Boston, running an organization known as the Winter Hill Gang. Bulger operated in all manners of criminal activity but the most unusual of his dealings was with the Federal Bureau of Investigation as an informant. Over the course of his infamous tenure Bulger brought drugs into his beloved South Boston neighborhood and murdered many who defied him. Director Scott Cooper brings this gangster story to life in “Black Mass”, a gritty and hard-edged crime film that mostly succeeds because of the exceptional performance of Johnny Depp who is mesmerizing and intimidating in the lead role.

James Bulger (Johnny Depp) is a loyal son of the South Boston neighborhood he grew up in, a man who amongst his unsavory actions takes time to look after an elderly woman, compassionately care for his sick child, and boast about the importance of friendship and family. William Bulger (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a Massachusetts politician and brother to James; in one instance William talks about cleaning up the streets of Boston only to turn a blind eye to his brothers negative behavior. The Bulger’s childhood friend John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) has set himself up nicely with the FBI, trading freedom for James in exchange for information about the local mob operating in Boston.

The film is framed with a narrative that begins in an interrogation room, with James’ former accomplices spilling information about their boss. From this point the film jumps around with different characters, moving the story from point to point based on questions asked of them during the interrogation. Cooper directs the film, which is based off the book of the same title, with style and characteristics similar to other crime films that have come before it, think “Goodfellas” or “The Departed” as examples. Using these films as a reference for style immediately places the viewer in a familiar position, in a sense working to quickly establish the environment and understand that danger and a double-cross aren’t far away. While the storytelling design works initially, once the film breaks away from James’ composition and begins to focus on the alliance with the FBI or a pointless journey to Florida that serves as a side note to the extending reach of Winter Hill Gang, the narrative begins to fall apart.

The character of James "Whitey" Bulger is treated initial as a sort of local hero, a sharp-as-nails tough guy with a blue-eyed stare and ambiguous smirk who spouts tough guy talk as good as the best of these kind of characters. Johnny Depp is simply impressive, one of the strongest performances from him in recent years. There is no underlying comedy, no humorous gesture to break the tension, just pure, unadulterated intimidation. Depp for most of the film speaks in a soft whisper, allowing his eyes to do the most meaningful communication.

In one of the best scenes in the film James confronts the wife of his childhood friend John Connolly, the meeting is quietly composed though overwhelmingly threatening.  This scene could be the perfect description of James Bulger in the film, a man whose intentions are never honorable or admirable but only serving his underlying schemes or for protecting his own neck. “Black Mass” is just an average gangster film, but it excels because of a great performance from Johnny Depp.

Monte’s Rating

3.75 out of 5.00

Transcendence Review

Transcendence

Dir: Wally Pfister

Starring: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, Paul Bettany, and Cillian Murphy

There is an abundance of big questions and thought-worthy theories proposed in Wally Pfister’s directorial debut. Pfister, an exceptional director of photography for many of Christopher Nolan’s films, guides the wayward science fiction film “Transcendence” in a few different directions leading it into a position of narrative confusion that it unfortunately can’t escape from.

Genius scientist Will Castor (Johnny Depp) has advanced the field of artificial intelligence, landing him in a loved and hated position amongst the scientific community. Will has created a super computer called PINN that has prospect of expanding the once “impossibilities” of science into reality. However, an anti-technology terrorist organization coordinates an attack on the scientists working on this project, they fatally wound Will in the attack. Will’s wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall), a scientist who wants to use technology to protect the world, tries to save Will’s life by any means possible. She is able to talk Will’s partner Max (Paul Bettany) into uploading Will’s subconscious mind into PINN before he dies.

Scientific theory isn't usually difficult to execute in science fiction films, however if not paired with the correct narrative tone the theories can come off as either too simplistic or excessively ludicrous. Pfister starts his film somewhere in the middle with the ideas, implementing the advancement of artificial technology in a progressive way that becomes radically more advanced once Will Castor’s subconscious is inserted into PINN to guide the technology farther. However, Pfister’s dramatic tone remains completely straightforward while the theories and story expand into the realms of far futuristic science fiction and comic book fascination. In some instances, specifically when dealing with Will’s true intentions and humanity within the system, Pfister is able to keep the film stimulating with the mystery of the systems self-awareness. While in other points, like Will’s obvious neglect of his own systematic faults or an arc of joining forces with a terrorist cell, the film falls into disarray amidst these inconsistent narrative choices.

The cast is packed with recognizable faces. Johnny Depp, who regardless of recent outlandish performances is a superior actor, is initially good here but is quickly relinquished to an image on a computer screen. Depp’s monotone delivery keeps intentions vague whether or not that was the objective. Rebecca Hall is good both when caringly in love with Will and achingly devoted when things begin to slowly unravel. Morgan Freeman is underused but is regardless consistently interesting whenever he is on screen with other actors.

Director Wally Pfister showcases potential and should continue to get better with his next films. “Transcendence” has a ton of good ideas unfortunately they are mixed into a film that despite a good cast and attractive photography never finds a bearing.

Monte’s Rating         

2.50 out of 5.00