Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz team up in action-packed ‘Pirates’ sequel

There are flesh-nibbling mermaids, muscle-bound zombies, a fabled fountain that has restorative healing powers, and a legendary pirate in “On Stranger Tides,” the fourth installment of the lucrative “Pirates of the Caribbean” film franchise. How they’re brought to life, however, then integrated into Captain Jack Sparrow’s (Johnny Depp) latest (mis)adventures leaves much to be desired.

Curiously, as Sparrow embarks on another adventure, the franchise’s other protagonists, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), are nowhere in sight and are never mentioned.

Prophecy

In “On Stranger Tides,” Jack is tricked into joining an expedition searching for the Fountain of Youth led by his vengeful former lover, Angelica (Penelope Cruz), and her pirate-father, the ruthless Blackbeard (Ian McShane), who wants to circumvent a prophecy predicting his death. Hot on their heels are Jack’s one-legged arch nemesis, Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who’s now a privateer in the court of King George II, and the Spanish team.

For the fountain to work, they must find the chalices and a mermaid’s tear needed to activate its magic. But, when they finally get their hands on Syrena (Astrid Berges-Frisbey), they’re faced with another challenge: How do they make a mermaid cry?

As usual, the adorable Depp holds the movie together—but, even some of his glib wisecracks are starting to feel trite and repetitive. And, his chemistry with Cruz lacks the sizzle needed to make their scenes crackle with excitement (recall the Antonio Banderas-Catherine Zeta-Jones partnership in 2005’s “The Legend of Zorro”).

Sea maidens

Moreover, seeing the ethereal, light-hypersensitive sea maidens transformed into blood-sucking, fish-tailed “relatives” of Edward Cullen needs some getting used to.

But, if you don’t have preconceived notions about the mythical and folkloric characters introduced in the film (which is, as usual, needlessly protracted), you’ll be entertained by the series of action-packed sequences strung together by director Rob Marshall (“Chicago,” “Memoirs of a Geisha”) with flair and, yes, terpsichorean grace.