rHodas: New 'Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' Trailer: Five Key Scenes

Monday, March 21, 2011

New 'Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' Trailer: Five Key Scenes

The new preview gives us a few clues about Jack's journey to the Fountain of Youth.
By Eric Ditzian

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow
Photo: Disney

We've just crossed the two-month mark; there's now a mere 59 days until "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" shoves off and into theaters. What's more, there's now a brand-new trailer for Johnny Depp's seafaring 3-D adventure flick, giving us important pieces of plot info and raising all new questions about what we're going to see when the movie debuts. As we continue to count down the days until that premiere, let's take a look at the new trailer's five key moments.

Looks Like They Took a Wrong Turn
We've already seen a variation of this scene — Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow walking under some kind of stone archway on an island — but in the new trailer, we see the camera push forward a little, giving us a peek at what's on the other side: a ship perched on a cliff high above the water line. How'd it get there? Well, as we see throughout the new footage, the laws of physics get twisted in all sorts of funky ways. Just as compelling a question as what the ship is doing up there is: Whose ship is it?

She's Alive
Speaking of ships, the Black Pearl is back in the mix, though this time it seems to be in the hands of nefarious Blackbeard (Ian McShane). And as Captain Barbossa explains, Blackbeard has made some unconventional improvements to the craft. "The rigging had come to life. Our own ship turned against us," he tells Jack as we see shots of ropes whipping around like tentacles and plucking up pirates. What sort of dark magic does Blackbeard wield? A confusing one, no doubt, because after Sparrow gets caught up in the ship's new powers, he blurts out, "Captain, I wish to report a mutiny. I can name fingers and point names!"

Capturing the Mermaids
We've seen plenty of mermaids floating through previous "Pirates" footage, but the new trailer gives us the most information yet about how these creatures fit into the storyline. Turns out, a mermaid is needed to locate the fountain of youth — that mythical place everyone in "On Stranger Tides" is trying to find. That explains why, as in earlier footage, we see a shot of a mermaid trapped in a seriously large fish tank. Captivity, however, can kill a mermaid. Given that under his tattoos and dreadlocks, Sparrow is a very moral guy, we suspect Jack might go from capturing a mermaid to setting one free.

Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged
From the very first official "On Stranger Tides" photos, we've seen Jack being dragged into Old Royal Naval College by King George II's guards and offered the job of finding the fountain of youth. But the captain isn't one take to orders. How does he slip away from King George's men? A clue seems to arrive in the form of Jack wearing a musty old wig and a bright red robe, just like a British judge: nothing like a clever disguise to help a pirate escape.

Water, Water, Everywhere
As we mentioned, Jack's quest for the fountain brings him into contact with lands in which the laws of physics don't entirely apply. Early in the new trailer, for instance, a drop of water seems to fall upwards, hitting Jack's hands as it goes. Here we see our hero in a sort of cave that has a roof of water. How exactly does something like happen? And, furthermore, how is he pulled up into the water as if by reverse gravity? We likely won't get the full answer until the movie arrives on May 20.

Check out everything we've got on " Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides."

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