'Pirates of the Caribbean 5': Summer blockbuster

“Salazar's Revenge” marks a much-needed return to the multi-billion-dollar “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, after the much-criticized fourth installment six years ago.

Released in the summer of 2003, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was a surprise success for Disney. Not only did it gross over $650 million worldwide, it was also critically acclaimed, with five Oscar nominations and dozens of major and minor film awards.

The film's main actors such as Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley... became notable names. In particular, the character of the cunning pirate Jack Sparrow became the role of a lifetime for actor Johnny Depp, contributing significantly to shaping his acting style later on.

The Pirates of the Caribbean sequels have continued to be hugely successful, with four films so far grossing over $3.7 billion worldwide at the box office, making it one of the most profitable film franchises of all time.

However, the success in revenue did not go hand in hand with quality. Critics commented that the quality of the series tended to decline as time went on. The bottom came when the fourth installment, On Stranger Tides (2011), had to endure a lot of criticism from all sides for its superficial script and inferior action elements compared to the previous three installments.

Salazar's Revenge marks the return of the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean series after six years.

That public opinion has made Disney more cautious in exploiting their billion-dollar brand. To restore the reputation of Pirates of the Caribbean, the responsibility has been placed on the shoulders of Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg - two young Norwegian directors who received Oscar nominations for the film Kon-Tiki (2012).

Not only did Disney choose two young talents to direct the project, it also promised that the new film would return to the attractive style of the first film. The familiar group of characters that were absent from the fourth part also returned, and the project was poured with a huge budget of up to 230 million USD.

Therefore, Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge became a risky gamble for Disney, making both audiences and critics curious about whether this expensive project can restore the reputation of the entire brand?

Familiar content and closely linked to previous episodes

Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge opens with the story of Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) - the son of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). With the desire to lift the curse that the Flying Dutchman ship has placed on his father, Henry decides to find Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp).

A young man wants to enlist the help of a notorious pirate to find the Trident of the sea god Poseidon. It is said that whoever possesses the mythical treasure will become the master of the ocean, breaking any curse at sea.

The trip not only includes Henry Turner and Jack Sparrow, but also Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), a young orphan girl who is also trying to find the location of the trident to better understand the identity of her parents.

Ghost Captain Salazar is Jack Sparrow's new rival in his quest for the legendary trident.

The challenge that awaits them is the invincible Spanish Navy led by Captain Armando Salazar (Javier Bardem), who holds a grudge against Jack Sparrow.

It is easy to see that the content of Salazar's Revenge has many similarities with the first part, The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). The two main characters Henry Turner and Carina Smyth are somewhat similar to the couple Will Turner - Elizabeth Swann, for many reasons they are entangled in an unimaginable adventure with the cunning pirate Jack Sparrow.

As for the villains, Captain Salazar's army of demons, they have much in common with Davy Jones and the crew of the Flying Dutchman: cursed, unable to die, but no longer human, forever holding grudges year after year on the vast ocean.

If the fourth episode, On Stranger Tides, has content that is almost independent and separate from the first three parts, Salazar's Revenge has an extremely close connection with the previous parts.

Many of the major events covered in the film require the audience to watch the previous episodes in full to fully understand them, making Salazar's Revenge all the more enjoyable for loyal fans of the series.

All of this shows that Disney is choosing a safe path for Pirates of the Caribbean. Instead of taking risks to find new creative ideas, Salazar's Revenge reuses old values ​​that once attracted audiences: content, repetitive character system of part one, villains like parts two and three...

As a result, the fifth installment is both a sequel to the series and a reboot of the franchise, but also a remake of the first two films.

Die-hard Pirates of the Caribbean fans will probably appreciate the move, but the strategy leaves Salazar's Revenge lacking in originality, creativity, and surprise.

Maintain the characteristic humorous action style

Not only does Salazar's Revenge maintain a strong connection to its predecessors, it also continues to promote the series' signature action and humor. At the beginning of the film, the audience is treated to a unique bank robbery scene that is both Pirates of the Caribbean and Fast & Furious.

After that, the film continues to bring many other unique action scenes, with increasingly grandiose scale. In terms of scale and creativity, they cannot compare to the second or third part, but are still enough to satisfy the audience's entertainment needs during the summer.

The action and humor of the previous episodes are maintained quite well in Salazar's Revenge.

The comedy in the film is also maintained quite well, with humorous situations being inserted continuously and reasonably. The audience's laughter mainly comes from the familiar Jack Sparrow, Mr. Gibbs (Kevin McNally), and their shambolic crew.

When it comes to the appeal of the film, it is impossible not to mention the great contribution of the impressive visuals and sound. With an investment budget of 230 million USD, Salazar's Revenge contains many beautiful frames when taking the audience to unique locations such as the Devil's Triangle, the mysterious sea where the trident is buried...

The naval battles in the film, although not long, are presented quite attractively and satisfyingly. Although the famous composer Hans Zimmer is no longer there, the music in Salazar's Revenge is still very majestic, with the main melody being the immortal song He's a Pirate.

Old character class overwhelms new character class

The fifth season introduced two new characters to the series: Henry Turner and Carina Smyth. Although the series tried to develop their personalities into more diverse and distinct characters, it is not difficult to see that the duo has a lot in common with the Will Turner - Elizabeth Swann couple.

Unfortunately, compared to the two old characters, the young couple could not leave the necessary impression, and were somewhat inferior. While Carina was the perfect counterweight to Elizabeth Swann because they both had strong personalities and intelligence, Henry was quite bland compared to his father. Not to mention, the relationship and interaction between Henry and Carina were also quite weak, not convincing enough.

The new characters of the series have not been able to leave a strong impression like the old faces.

Spending so much time introducing new characters, the film sometimes becomes a bit long-winded. Some of the characters introduced in the film are quite redundant, with almost no significant role, typically the British Royal Army joining the journey to find the trident.

The villains, the demon army led by Salazar, were initially built to be very grand and terrifying. They were immortal and possessed unimaginable powers. But as the game progressed, the group of characters became more and more obscure, with unclear goals, not commensurate with what was initially praised.

Therefore, the impression from the character part mainly comes from old faces like Jack Sparrow, Mr. Gibbs, Captain Hector Barbossa - although he has changed a lot now, no longer has the typical arrogance of the past.

Overall, Salazar's Revenge is still a necessary return for Disney's action-fantasy series. Although it doesn't contain many new and creative points, the film can still attract audiences by maintaining and promoting its characteristic humorous action style, along with impressive performances from the old, beloved characters.

The film is showing in theaters nationwide.

According to Zing