It’s been 14 years since the first Pirates of the Caribbean film was released, which was a massive success, as were the subsequent films, although each one less so. The latest trailer for the fifth installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, has been released, and it looks like a reboot of the series, with some prequel insight into Captain Jack Sparrow’s origin story. I’m sure many, like myself, have been dying to know the details of Jack’s early life, as his past has always been shrouded in mystery and vague stories.
It’s hard to continue this franchise when the original plot line was tied up after the third film. The fourth film already felt like an attempt to cash in one more time on the franchise’s success, and the fifth installment seems only to compound this feeling.
The trailer features near-exact replicas of characters from the earlier films; the young, naïve man walking in the shadow of Jack’s suave ability and drunken humour; the young maiden, furiously brilliant before her time, who will undoubtedly be mocked and objectified throughout the film; even the comedic duo mimicking Pintel and Ragetti from the earlier films.
While the film will undoubtedly bring in the crowds and serve up innovative sword-fighting scenes epic CGI and heart explosions, I don’t predict it to meet the success of the series’ first three films, but may possibly eclipse the fourth one. Although the trailer suggests otherwise, here’s hoping Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will not be a second-rate replica of its predecessors.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will be released in Australia on 25th May. Check out the trailer below:
