Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides review

It goes without saying that the writing is an improvement on the last two instalments. 'Dead Man's Chest' and 'At World's End' were bloated to the point of incoherence, so it's good to see 'On Stranger Tides' going back to basics. The tighter story moves along at a neat pace, while the dialogue is vastly superior, one such shining example coming courtesy of mortality-botherer Keith Richards as Sparrow's dad: "Does this face look like it's been to the fountain of youth?"

Stylistically, the director swap isn't noticeable - Marshall has a painterly eye for grandeur and opulence as much as Verbinski, while tonally we still find ourselves in the midst of a darkly comedic, fantastical fairytale. It's panto on an epic scale and budget - instead of treading boards in the crumbling local theatre, Depp, Rush and co bring their high-campery to some of the world's most exotic locales and some excellently-designed sets.

And bring it they do. Depp's Sparrow appears more severely wasted than ever, while Rush has the most fun he's had so far as craggy-faced nutjob Barbossa. The newcomers know their place too: McShane is a dastardly Blackbeard and Cruz has more feistiness in her than Keira Knightley ever did.

It's not a perfect picture, not by a long shot. Clergyman Sam Claflin and mermaid Astrid Berges-Frisbey (replacing the not-noticeably-missing Orlando Bloom and Knightley as love interests) are expendable in a shoehorned romantic frisson, while minor rewrites could have solved those nefarious plotholes. A lot is left unexplained - why Blackbeard has superpowers, how he bottles the enemy ships he captures, how Keith Richards is still alive - which might frustrate if you dare engage for more than two seconds.

Still, this is the most straightforward, comical and - crucially - entertaining Pirates film since the first outing. It requires you switch off your brain for maximum enjoyment, but what Hollywood blockbuster, what weekend pantomime doesn't?