The Parent Perspective: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – Sun Sentinel

I have the complete DVD set of "Pirates of the Caribbean," and my son loves to watch the films. The swordplay, the heroes and villains all fascinate him.

So I debated taking him to see the latest "Pirates" film, "Dead Men Tell No Tales."

I'm so glad I decided not to bring him along.

Heed the PG-13 warning on this one. "Dead Men Tell No Tales" is both sillier and more frightening than its predecessors. While its more ridiculous moments would definitely appeal to a younger preteen, its graphic images would not.

A trailer for the film features a slow-motion, leaping shark, but seeing the decaying sharks in action on a big screen is another matter and is likely to be particularly frightening for the under-10 age group. There was also a lot of death by sword in "Dead Men," as well as an opening scene with a small child tying rocks to his feet and jumping overboard in what is definitely a "do not try this at home" moment.

There is sexual innuendo and plenty of not-so-innocent flirtation between Captain Jack Sparrow and almost every woman he meets, but that's par for the course with "Pirates" films. Thankfully, the film also has plenty of laughs.

With the series is on its fifth film, it is showing signs of stress. Some of the action of "Dead Men" is often blatantly unbelievable, which is disappointing.

But there's some nice story and character development in the plot, especially around the character of Captain Hector Barbossa.

The ending is all cheese, with cameos thrown in to appease fans of the first three films, but it only slightly diminishes the emotional impact of the climax of the film.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" has some memorable moments, but leave the kids at home for this one. Much like "On Stranger Tides," with its surprisingly disturbing mermaid scene, this film has an expected bite.

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The Parent Perspective: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales - Sun Sentinel