Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Review & Giveaway!

Yo Ho, Yo Ho....Captain Jack is back as "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" sails into theaters everywhere TODAY (May 20th, 2011)!

 Pirates has always been a "must-do" ride at Disneyland for us and one year we even  dressed as a pirate family for Halloween! 

So, needless to say, we've been fans of the "Pirates" movie franchise and thanks to Disney, my husband and I had the pleasure of attending an advance screening of the latest installment earlier this week! In "On Stranger Tides", Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) finds himself on an unexpected journey to the fabled Fountain of Youth when a woman from his past (Penélope Cruz) forces him aboard the Queen Anne’s Revenge, the ship of the formidable pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane).

Our thoughts:

Overall, the movie was great--just what you would expect from a "Pirates" movie--swashbuckling action, adventure, a little romance (& tension), some creepy piratey "magic", and the usual hilarious antics of Captain Jack. Mr. Mom Endeavors and I both agreed that "On Stranger Tides"  is the second best of the four (as we both like the first installment best). It was nice to have the Davy Jones plot line done (that wasn't my favorite), though I do have admit that I did miss the Elizabeth & Will story-line a bit (my husband, not so much). Like the other movies in the series, "On Stranger Tides" is rated PG-13, so the little guys won't be seeing it anytime soon. But, I think older kids would love it!

 Ph: Peter Mountain ©Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

One thing that I especially loved about the film was the scenery! Twice during the movie, I turned to my husband and said, "this has to be Kauai." And, I was right!! They spent about a month on location filming there. We spent our Honeymoon in Kauai and absolutely loved it. It's breathtaking! Scenes were filmed in various locations that we loved there, like the Na Pali Coast, the National Tropical Botanical Garden, and Ke'e beach. So, if you've been to Kauai and loved it like us, you should really enjoy the some of the scenes. (The movie was shot on location in other parts of Hawaii, London, and Puerto Rico too).

 

 Ph: Peter Mountain ©Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved

To celebrate the opening of "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides", Disney is giving one lucky Mom Endeavors reader a fun Pirates prize-pack!!!

Prize pack features:

- PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES in adult sizes of S, M, L, XL

- PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES bandana in black

- PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES temporary tattoos (2 per winner)

To Enter: Giveaway has ended! Congrats to lucky winner, Heather (comment #20)!!
1. Simply leave a comment telling me if you plan on seeing the movie (or, if you've seen it already, share what you thought of it)!

Get extra entries (leave a separate comment for each):

2. Subscribe to Mom Endeavors on Google Friend Connect (see widget on the left side bar)

3. Follow Mom Endeavors on facebook and/or twitter (and share about the giveaway if you're so inclined)

4. Like PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN on Facebook 

if you're already following, thank you, just make sure you leave a comment & let me know!!

(up to 4 entries per person)
Limited to US & Canadian residents only. Giveaway will end on May 27th at 10pm PST. Winner with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. I will email the winner and post the winner on the blog. They will have 48 hours to claim their prize (make sure you leave your email address or that it is attached to your profile).

Disclosure: I saw this movie at a free press screening at the invitation of Disney.  No compensation was received.  All opinions and experiences are my own and your opinion of the movie may differ from mine.