Soundtracked! Issue #10 - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (TFC)

Do you remember what you wanted to be when you grew up? A Star Wars obsessed friend of mine had aspirations of becoming a Jedi. One wanted to be an Indiana Jones type adventurer and another dreamed of joining the Ghostbusters. Back in school another friend of mine once told me he wanted to be a bin man because he believed they only worked one day a week – seriously! Like my friends, I too had an unlikely career plan brought on by the likes of The Goonies, The Princess Bride and the incredible Hook; Steven Spielberg’s story of the boy who supposedly never grows old. From sailing the high seas in search of buried treasure to sending my adversaries plunging from the plank, it was to be a pirate’s life for me!

It’s safe to say the dream had long since drifted down to Davy Jones’s locker until the year 2003, thanks to the cinematic moment Johnny Depp appeared as charismatic Captain Jack Sparrow, sailing into port on the mast of a sinking ship. Not only was it one of cinema’s finest introductions, it was enough to reawaken my long lost desire to become a care-free buccaneer. You needn’t worry though. I’m not deluded enough to think this career choice is at all possible. Nor am I thinking about relocating to Somali; it’s simply a fantasy of mine that has been greatly fulfilled by Gore Verbinski’s sensational Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. Before we go any further I’d like to point out I unequivocally adore the series. As a piece of pure popcorn entertainment, Disney’s Pirates trilogy (in my patchless eyes) has been rarely beaten. From the time Jack tackled the curse of the Black Pearl to the moment Jack stumbled on a dead man’s chest, and even the highly criticised instant Jack arrived at world’s end, I admire them all.

Originally touted as a trilogy which came to a close in 2007, my heart sank like an iron anchor at the thought of biding farewell to Captain Jack and his extraordinary escapades. It wasn’t until I learnt the 3-film franchise had grossed a booty-hauling 2.68 billion dollars worldwide when I realised the fat cats in Hollywood would rather set sail once again than let it simply walk the plank. Just as expected, in September ‘08, Depp signed on to return as everyone’s favourite (unless you’re Mrs Birdseye that is) seafaring captain in a fourth film in the franchise, subtitled On Stranger Tides. Now almost three years later and losing an entire ocean’s worth of water in anticipation, I’ve just returned from experiencing Jack’s fourth fantasy adventure on the film’s opening night.

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