Story
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales begins with a brief meeting between young Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) and his cursed father, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), captain of the Flying Dutchman. Henry tells his father that he has found a way to break the curse, but to do it Henry must find the legendary Trident of Poseidon. This is a powerful artefact that can destroy any sea-based curse and give total control of the sea to the person who possesses it. Unfortunately for Will and Henry, no-one can read the only map in existence that shows the location of the Trident.
Several years later, Henry Turner is still searching for the Trident. Through a series of chance events, Henry teams up with the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and a young woman named Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario). Carina is a star-gazing scientist who has been condemned for being a witch. She also has not only the map that shows the way to the Trident, but also the ability to read the map.
But Henry isn’t the only one searching for the Trident. Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) wants the Trident so that he can rule the seas; Lieutenant Scarfield (David Wenham) of the British Royal Navy wants the Trident so that Britain can rule the seas; and Captain Jack Sparrow wants the Trident to fend off a ship of ghost pirates led by the famous Spanish pirate killer Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem). Salazar wants revenge on Jack Sparrow for the curse inflicted upon him and his crew. The race is on to find Poseidon’s Trident first and unlock its secrets.
Themes
Fantasy; myths and legends; pirates; witches and witchcraft; revenge; the supernatural; fate
Violence
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales contains occasionally brutal violence; action violence; violence caused by guns and other hand weapons; fantasy-related violence; some mass destruction of property; some comical/slapstick violence, and multiple violent deaths, including the death of a lead character. There is, however, minimal blood and gore. Here are some examples:
Sexual references
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales has several sexual references and some innuendo. For example:
- A man says that a ship’s captain walks in a funny way because he has one leg and 18-pound balls. The man is actually talking about cannon balls.
- In a comical scene, a man is shown without his pants. We see his bare legs.
- A man describes a woman as having a neck ‘like a giraffe and two wonderful …’. He’s referring to her breasts.
- In a non-sexual situation, a man says, ‘I’m not paying for that’. A second man misinterprets this and replies, ‘Don’t say that to any woman’.
- A woman declares that she is a horologist (study of time). Some sailors misunderstand her and think that she has said that she’s a prostitute.
- A woman removes her dress to reveal that she’s wearing long underwear. A young man gets excited and says that he can see her ankles. A second man says, ‘You could have seen a lot more if you’d kept your cakehole shut’.
- A woman with a noose tied around her neck falls through a gallows trapdoor and is caught by a young man below. The man’s face is level with the woman’s crotch.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales shows some use of substances. For example:
- One of the main characters holds a bottle of rum throughout most of the movie. He occasionally swigs from the bottle and behaves drunkenly.
- In one scene a bottle of rum is shot from the hand of a drunken pirate.
Nudity and sexual activity
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales has some sexual activity and partial nudity. For example:
- In front of a crowd, a large bank safe is opened to show a man and woman asleep inside. The reaction from the crowd suggests that the couple has engaged in sexual activity. The woman stands up and runs off, holding the front of her dress together. This reveals some cleavage.
- A couple of scenes show a man and woman kissing passionately on the lips.
Product placement
None of concern
Coarse language
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales contains some low-level coarse language and some name-calling.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is the fifth movie in this series. It’s pitched at teenagers, adults and fans of the series. The movie is full of the slapstick comedy audiences expect from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Although Johnny Depp is as entertaining and charismatic as ever, the movie fails to deliver a convincing plot and fans might be a little disappointed.
Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include the following:
- Family love: a son’s love for his father and a father’s love for his daughter are key themes. Both father and son are willing to sacrifice all to protect the people they love.
- Selflessness: although pirates are generally presented as selfish characters, the movie does show one of the main characters, a pirate, making the ultimate sacrifice.
This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the use of alcohol. One of the main characters is shown as drunk throughout the story but he unrealistically manages to avoid all mishaps. You could talk with your children about what might happen in real life if you drink too much alcohol.