A Date with the Pirates

"Now bring me that horizon!" says Captain Jack Sparrow as the screen fades into darkness and marks the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, while also ensuring the start of a spectacular movie series filled with fun, adventure, humour, love and above all, Jack Sparrow. Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise has seen four movies released across 8 years and in the process grossing $3.7 billion in worldwide revenues. Not enough... no? So here we go again! Disney has announced the release date for Pirates of the Caribbean 5 -- July 10, 2015 -- with Johnny Depp reprising the legendary character once again. 

I hear the skeptics moaning. "No, it will never be as good as the first one!" "Oh, they are going to ruin the franchise!" "How long can Depp pull it off?" To all those with frowns, I say, zip it! This is one of the most exciting bit of news I have come across in recent times. What it means essentially is, we get to see more of witty Jack. So what if it ain't gonna be as good as the first one, or the second one. My heart not yearns for a classic movie each time I step into the theatre. But a movie as fun-filled and adventurous as I am sure a Pirates of the Caribbean movie would be, is what I am willing to grab on to. I could personally do with watching Jack Sparrow sprinting around deftly while escaping the guards on his heels, chattering incessantly through his crooked teeth, each summer. And so when they get it out after a four-year period, heck no, I ain't complaining!  

And why wouldn't Disney tilt towards another movie in this franchise? The last instalment was the one I heard most grumble about. And while it had the lowest collections of the series in US, it had the highest collections across the world. About $800 million collections from non-US market is a huge amount! Timing one movie after every three to four year period seems like a sound strategy for the period lifts your enthusiasm to see the ale drinking pirates once again. And in the interim period, I fail to recollect any movie of a similar nature that has created much of a ripple with only The Hobbit coming to my mind that can be termed as a larger-than-life adventure packed movie. The key has always been Johnny Depp  for this series, even though he is matched every step by a talented cast, not least of all Geoffrey Rush aka Captain Barbossa. But one cannot imagine Pirates of the Caribbean without Johnny and without Jack!  So Johnny Depp was 40 when the first movie released and would be 52 when the fifth instalment hits the theatres, and I would gladly wager that  he would  still have the spring in his stride to pull off a couple more before Disney mulls over the ideas of spin-offs around the plethora of characters the tales have carried. The fate of the series though shall be seen when time calls upon us to ponder. For now I ask you what Tia Dalma asked the others: Would you sail to the ends of the earth and back to fetch back witty Jack, and him precious Pearl? 

Oh yeah!!