STACK June 2017 Issue 152

18 / 93

The Pirates of the Caribbean series
– which began back in 2003, mind
you – is now up to its fifth instalment
with Dead Men Tell No Tales (AKA Salazar's
Revenge).
This time, we're following the story of
fan-favourite Will Turner's (Orlando Bloom)
son, Henry (Brenton Thwaites). All his life,
he's been trying to break the curse that
condemns his father to the seas, and the
only way to do that is through securing the
Trident of Poseidon.
When the ship he's aboard is set upon
by Spanish Sea Captain Armando Salazar
(Javier Bardem) and his men, Henry is the
sole survivor and charged with delivering a
message – death is coming for Captain Jack
Sparrow (Johnny Depp).
Meanwhile, Carina (Kaya Scodelario) is
on trial for witchcraft (which is actually just
astronomy) and holds the only map to the
Trident. Sparrow, on death row after being
arrested for robbing a bank, is due to be
executed on the same day. As fate would
have it, Henry rescues
them both, and with the
help of Jack, his ship and
his crew, sets out to find
the artifact and save Will
– while outrunning Salazar
and his men, of course.
The Pirates franchise,
like Fast and Furious
before it, looks to be going down a path
skewed more towards VFX and 'wow factor'
than story, and suffers in some places,
hindered especially by Depp's 'drunken
uncle' portrayal of Sparrow for a fair chunk
of the film.
That said, Dead Men Tell No Tales is very
much a Pirates of the Caribbean film. It's
got sea warfare, treasure, a few kick-arse
swordfights, and even a decent appearance
from Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and
the Flying Dutchman, all of which serve
as pleasant distractions from some of the
film's more ridiculous moments.
Aussie Thwaites is an endearing addition
to the cast and nicely complemented by
Scodelario – the pair (along with Depp) have
a great chemistry, making for a rollicking
Pirates adventure that's certainly not the
worst instalment in the franchise (that
honour goes to On Stranger Tides). You
even find out where Jack Sparrow earned
his name... hang on, shouldn't there be a
Captain in there somewhere? Alesha Kolbe
RELEASED: June 8 DIRECTOR: Jonathan Teplitzky
CAST: Brian Cox, Natasha Richardson, John
Slattery RATING: M
The first of two films out this year to focus on the
iconic, cigar-puffing British PM and his historical
wartime achievements, Churchill features a knockout
performance by the great Brian Cox in a role he was
born to play. Assuredly directed by Australian Jonathan
Teplitzky (The Railway Man), Churchill adopts a similar
approach to its subject as the recent Jackie, offering
an intensely intimate character study that observes its
larger than life subject during a time of crisis – in this
case the countdown to the D-Day landings on June
6, 1944. The film reveals the vulnerable – and very
human – side of the legendary British leader, who is
wracked by personal angst and guilt over the loss of
life on the beaches at Gallipoli and fearful of repeating
past mistakes. Even knowing the outcome, there's
still an element of suspense due to Churchill's own
gnawing doubt over the campaign's success. Moreover,
behind every great PM is his wife, and the scenes he
shares with Clementine (a terrific Miranda Richardson)
add further resonance to this remarkably personal
insight into a very public figure. Beautifully shot
and impeccably acted, this revealing and absorbing
World War II drama will leave you with a newfound
understanding and appreciation of the great Winston
and his indelible role in "the field of human conflict",
and a sense that Cox's performance will be a hard
act to follow for Gary Oldman in the forthcoming The
Darkest Hour. Scott Hocking
CHURCHILL
Since when did the Arthur legend feature colossal
elephants attacking Camelot? When it's been
reimagined – no, make that bastardized – by Guy
Ritchie. The foundations of the classic medieval
tale are there, but this is not just a case of Lock,
Stock, and a Bloody Big Sword. Ritchie puts it in a
Nutribullet along with Lord of the Rings, Game of
Thrones, Snatch, The Sword and the Sorcerer and
Monty Python and the Holy Grail and then throws it
at the screen to see what sticks. Yep, it's as messy
as it sounds. In Ritchie's take, Arthur grows up in
the city of Londinium as a streetwise geezer (Charlie
Hunnam). With Camelot ruled by the evil Vortigern
(Jude Law), Arthur draws the legendary sword
Excalibur from the stone and rallies his likely lads
to reclaim the kingdom. The film begins promisingly
as a kind of alternate universe/grotesque fantasy
version of the Arthur story, but quickly descends
into a chaos of incoherence, CGI that makes
Marvel movies look restrained, flashbacks within
montages within visions, and the circular chatter
that's Ritchie's trademark. It's as wildly uneven
as Charlie Hunnam's accent, and interest quickly
wanes. If you keep your expectations low, King
Arthur: Legend of the Sword can be enjoyed on the
same batsh-t crazy level as last year's big budget
fantasy folly Gods of Egypt. But if you haven't seen
a Guy Ritchie film since RocknRolla, you may want
to keep it that way. Scott Hocking
KING ARTHUR: LEGEND
OF THE SWORD
RELEASED: Now Showing DIRECTOR: Guy Ritchie
CAST: Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Djimon
Hounsou RATING: M
The Poseidon adventure.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:
DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES
RELEASED: Now Showing
DIRECTORS: Joachim Rønning,
Espen Sandberg
CAST: Johnny Depp, Javier
Bardem, Geoffrey Rush
RATING: M
18 JUNE 2017
RATING KEY:
Wow!
Good
Not bad
Meh Woof!
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