Pirates of the Caribbean started life as a strong franchise of fun movies, lead by Johnny Depp as the permanently inebriated Captain Jack Sparrow. Delving into the world of the supernatural, Pirates of the Caribbean boasted a strong stock of characters, with Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa, Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, and Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann.

However, the franchise lost its way, and though all four installments to date have been box office success stories, the critics were less-than-kind to the fourth movie, On Stranger Tides; being regarded as the weakest of the lot. Muddled plot points and too many characters made the movie difficult to follow, and it seemed as though the Pirates franchise was all washed up.

News of a fifth movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, was met with caution; could the franchise really be restored to its former glory? Thankfully, it seems so. With Depp, Rush, and Bloom all reprising their roles, Dead Men Tell No Tales also introduces Javier Bardem as the villainous, undead Captain Salazar, with Brenton Thwaites as Henry Turner and Kaya Scodelario as Carina Smyth.

Following a screening at CinemaCon, the first reactions to Dead Men Tell No Tales are now online, and Disney will be pleased to note that they're positive, with many praising the movie as being a return to its original form. Take a look at some of the tweets, below.

Also has, in Kaya Scodelario @kScodders, the strongest female character in the franchise. #CinemaCon2017— Sean P. Means (@moviecricket) 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— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) March 29, 2017

Though not the best in the franchise, it delivers the fun you expect and want from Sparrow & Co. #PiratesoftheCaribbean #Cinemacon— Yolanda Machado (@SassyMamainLA) March 29, 2017

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.— Peter Sciretta (@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

It's great to hear the character of Carina being praised for her strength, as well as the high praise for the special effects. It's also interesting to note that Dead Men Tell No Tales is being recognized as a return to past form, especially since that was what Disney were aiming for. The movie tells of Salazar's desperate attempt to get revenge on Jack Sparrow, and he and his crew of ghost sailors set out to kill every remaining pirate on the seas.

Whether this will be the end of the Pirates franchise or not, remains to be seen. Though that was initially the intention, it has subsequently been mooted that the Pirates of the Caribbean movies could continue. It's unknown if there is a post-credits scene yet, since the credits didn't roll at CinemaCon, but if there is an extra scene, that could hint at any future. If this is the time for the franchise to bow out, though, they've chosen the right movie for it; a far more fitting end to Jack Sparrow's run than On Stranger Tides could offer. Undoubtedly, Dead Men Tell No Tales will be a hit at the box office, and with favorable reactions this early on, it could end up doing very well indeed.

NEXT: Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Rumored Post-Credits Scene

Source: Twitter (various, see above)

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