It’s no secret that Disney’s CinemaCon presentation stole headlines left, right, and center after the Mouse House previewed its film slate for 2017 and beyond. Among those highlights included new footage from Star Wars: The Last Jedi, a title change for Wreck-It Ralph 2 and some housekeeping relating to Marvel’s Black Panther movie – after much speculation, we now know the identity of (almost) every character on board for Ryan Coogler’s standalone pic.
But those who paid a visit to the annual Las Vegas convention were in for another treat from the Mouse House: an early screening of Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. It’s the first entry into Disney’s swashbuckling franchise since the so-so On Stranger Tides from six years ago, and all throughout development, co-directors Espen Sandberg and Joachim Rønning have teased the ways in which Dead Men Tell No Tales heralds something of a soft reboot for the Pirates franchise as a whole.
Is it successful? Yes, according to the first wave of reactions that have now sailed in from CinemaCon 2017. Embedded below, you’ll find that Kaya Scodelario (Carina Smyth) and Javier Bardem (Salazar) received particular praise for their respective performances, with some critics even going so far as to say that Dead Men Tell No Tales recaptures the adventurous spirit of the first Pirates film. Considering that Gore Verbinski’s Curse of the Black Pearl is widely considered to be the best in the series, that’s very high praise indeed.
Per Twitter:
Also has, in Kaya Scodelario @kScodders, the strongest female character in the franchise. #CinemaCon2017
— Sean P. Means (@SeanPMeans) March 29, 2017
Thing I liked most about #PiratesoftheCaribbean is it felt the most like the first movie, which is my personal favorite. Strong finale pic.twitter.com/SF9b6uk4GU
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) March 29, 2017
https://twitter.com/SassyMamainLA/status/846961459447910400
You might be surprised to hear me say this but I really dug the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Action set pieces are a lot of fun. pic.twitter.com/mluWwqyU8r
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) March 29, 2017
Also the action scenes are really well staged and easy to follow. So much better than the last one. #PiratesoftheCaribbean
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) March 29, 2017
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is a pleasant surprise. Continues the legacy, focuses on the characters and the world.
— /Film (@slashfilm) March 29, 2017
The new Pirates of the Caribbean is a big step up from the lifeless 4. Back to the fun myth building, still miss Verbinski's imprint.
— Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) March 29, 2017
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is one of the first major tentpoles of the blockbuster season, and it’ll be with us on May 26th. It’s opening opposite Seth Gordon’s Baywatch reboot, which promises a very different, R-rated kind of maritime adventure.