Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Tales Press Junket.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is absolutely amazing and I hope you’re sitting down because I know some of you will debate this with me, but, this one was the GREATEST, yes even better than Pirates of the Caribbean one! There, I said it and I’m ready for your emails. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales had me at the edge of my seat and one scene in particular totally scared me out of my chair, literally, I jumped onto my neighbor's lap and let out the loudest scream that everyone turned around to look at me. Let me just tell you that sharks scare me, especially in this movie!
WARNING, SPOILERS AHEAD!
Before I delve into the phenomenal talent we interviewed for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales has, let me tell you more about the movie. Go in knowing there are pure classic scenes that will live on forever, ie: guillotine scene, Jake Sparrow jumping between canons, a building being dragged through the town (no this isn’t a metaphor), the ocean floor, Captain Salazar himself is a masterpiece, you’ll find yourself catching your breath or laughing so hard that your belly will hurt. These scenes and more will have you longing for a pirates life, and yes, after Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales I’d love to get on a boat and see what adventures the sea has in store for me. You’ll be in awe of the spectacular visual effect, it’s breathtaking, if you’re taking your child, the cinematography will enhance their imagination. It will not only leave you and your child in wonderment but you’ll leave wanting to see more. Thank you Disney for the opportunity to pre-screen Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and most importantly access to interview, Javier Bardem (“Captain Salazar”), Geoffrey Rush (“Barbossa”), Brenton Thwaites (“Henry”), Kaya Scodelario (“Carina Smyth”), Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg (Directors) and the incomparable Jerry Bruckheimer (Producer). It was an honor to meet these legends in person and hear about what they thought of the movie and their characters.
A quote from Captain Salazar: “Pirates had infected the seas for generations. So I vowed to eliminate them all. And then, there was this boy, Jack Sparrow. He took everything from me and filled me with rage.” Captains Salazar who is the ultimate villain played by Javier Bardem is a man filled with rage, hate, anguish and pain. Javier knew he had to portray Captain Salazar as a man that was trapped in his own fury, driven by revenge and most importantly Javier saw Salazar as a victim of his own doing. In a scene when Salazar comes across the jailed Henry he asks him to tell Jack Sparrow a message while spewing vile black blood, “Find Sparrow for me and relay a message from Captain Salazar and tell him, ‘Death comes straight for him.’ Will you say that to him? Please?” Javier Bardem has given life to a character that is haunting, visually he’s a work of art, he will never leave your thoughts. When asked how about working Johnny Depp, “Depp is great to work with, you never know what he will bring!"
Barbossa, played by Geoffrey Rush won my heart, in this installment we see a softer side of him. The past that we didn’t know existed and a secret that will stop you in your tracks. Never have we seen such a soft side of Barbossa and it was refreshing. Mr. Rush calls this an “Epic Tale.” When speaking about Barbossa, Mr. Rush loved knowing that he had a secret that wasn’t his secret to tell, at least that is until it’s the right time and for the right person. I for one am glad that when a character dies they never really die, they miraculously get resurrected! I will not spoil this for you but remember what I just wrote, and believe in mystical powers that the ocean holds to bring a life back and a Pirates of the Caribbean 6!
We interviewed Brenton Thwaites (“Henry”), Kaya Scodelario (“Carina Smyth”) together and these two, just like the movie have a chemistry, with their infectious smiles and genuine fondness for one another, leaves you feeling happy. They are both funny, witty and can finish each other's sentences. We had asked them when the reality of being on Pirates of the Caribbean really sunk in? Kaya said the realization hit her when she was about to be hung, looking down at 500 extras, the moment was not missed by her, she looked around and was in awe. During this one scene she screams, “quite” because she wants Captain Sparrow to be quite including all the villagers but here’s the funny thing, Brenton (Henry) was off screen talking to someone and hadn't realized that was part of the scene, instead he thought she had flipped her lid in real life! Yes, Brenton thought throughout this entire time that Kaya had gone mad on set, Kaya had a great laugh and so did we. Brenton moment of “AHA” was during the same scene Kaya was talking about, he had bent down to pet a dog and was told not to pet the actor while he’s in character. This is the moment he realized this serious business. Here’s a tidbit about Kaya, she’s never been to Disneyland to enjoy the rides! I promptly invited her to Disneyland with my son and I and my offer still stands, anytime.
Directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg are friends in real life, these two have known each other for over 30 years! They grew up making films on Joachim fathers camcorders, so of course, they would be behind this blockbuster. We asked them how this Pirate is different from the previous installments? “In this POTC we learn how Jack Sparrow becomes Captain, this is huge. We wanted to explore and go back in time to see how he became the character that everybody loves. We tie that in with the backstory of (Bardem’s character) Capt. Salazar and why he hates Jack so much. We also went into the backstory of (Rush’s character) Capt. Barbossa. We wanted a personal strong journey for all of our characters.”
Jerry Bruckheimer (Producer) is a man of few words, he reminds me of the EF Hutton commercials, do you remember those? It went along the lines, “When EF Hutton speaks we all listen.” The man is brilliant, his resume speaks for him and he’s got major swagger! We asked him why he wanted to remake another Pirates of Caribbean and his response was on point, and I will add, they accomplished their goal. “We wanted to make another ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ that was totally unique, fresh, and was reinvigorating the franchise and giving an audience something they’ve never seen before. We want audiences to come to this movie for the humor, the humanity, the exciting action and the fun scary elements but it is also great storytelling with great characters. We always love great characters. And that is the excitement of what we bring to the screen—these wonderful characters caught up in this magical, fantastic world.” Make sure to catch Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, you’ll love every minute of it!!!!
~Thrust into an all-new adventure, a down-on-his-luck Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) feels the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost sailors led by his old nemesis, the evil Capt. Salazar (Javier Bardem), escape from the Devil's Triangle. Jack's only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it, he must forge an uneasy alliance with a brilliant and beautiful astronomer and a headstrong young man in the British navy. Release date: May 26, 2017