Warning: This review contains spoilers.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is one of those movies that is unnecessarily shot in 3D in order to bring in viewers, when in fact, it is the story line returning to its original roots that will bring viewers in. It is almost as if fans of the series could forget the fourth instalment, On Stranger Tides ever happened.

The son of Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley) and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) is determined to break the curse placed upon his father by the Dutchman. Henry  Turner (Brenton Thwaites) spends his life learning about every curse of the sea in order to find Poseidon’s Triton, the only object that can break curses of the sea. Enter Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), the only person in the world who can read the map to find it; she only helps because she hopes to find some trace of her own father, and Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp).

On the run from The Dead, who are determined to have Captain Jack’s head, the British and Captain Barbossa, the plan to save Will Turner could go wrong at any moment.

As usual, you can’t have a Pirates of the Caribbean movie without moments of light. You find yourself chuckling at the childish, drunken nature of Captain Jack and the awkward love blooming between Henry and Carina.

The film, which was shot in Queensland and almost got Johnny Depp’s dogs killed, has a plethora of Aussie talent. Geoffrey Rush is, as usual, phenomenal in his role as Captain Hector Barbossa. His story line added a new, softer element to the tyrant sea pirate, giving Rush more to work with in regards to his character.

Brenton Thwaites is absolutely charming in his role as the son of Will and Elizabeth. He wins your heart almost immediately with his dedication to save his father, no matter what the cost is. Thwaites first caught the attention of Australia in his role as Luke Gallagher in SLiDE, which definitely should have had a second season and nope, I am not still bitter about the fact that it didn’t six years later.

David Wenham stars as Scarfield, in a very different role than we saw of him in Lion. He is determined not to let Captain Jack, Henry and Carina out of his sights – all about to be executed for various crimes when they escape to the sea.

Although not Aussie, Kaya Scodelario is brilliant in her role as the scientific genius who saves the day with both her brains and heart. She highlights the struggle of women trying to learn science in an age where women who knew too much were classed as witches.

This instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was the perfect way to end the series – and I really hope they end it there. It closed the story lines of our favourite pirates in such a way that the viewer is both content and left wondering if they would truly live a happily ever after.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is in cinemas May 25th.

Chattr received a media pass to review the film free of charge, and this has no bearing on the review given.