Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), who’s being chased by an undead pirate hunter (Javier Bardem), joins forces with the son (Brenton Thwaites) of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) in the search for the Trident of Poseidon.

The fifth entry in the series, this one also in 3D, has a busy plot but still drags for long stretches… and this is the shortest yet in the franchise. The climactic rescue on an anchor chain gets our adrenaline going, though.

The directors try hard to pump new blood into the franchise (as well as offer closure), but results are so-so. Bardem is a good, vividly designed ghost villain.

2017-U.S. 129 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg. Screenplay: Jeff Nathanson. Cast: Johnny Depp (Jack Sparrow), Javier Bardem (Armando Salazar), Brenton Thwaites (Henry Turner), Kaya Scodelario, Geoffrey Rush, Kevin McNally, Stephen Graham… Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Paul McCartney. 

Trivia: Released outside the U.S. as Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge. Christoph Waltz was reportedly considered for the part of the main villain; Taron Egerton and Ansel Elgort for Thwaites’s role. Jacob Elordi was an extra in the film.