The Pirates of the Caribbean are back for a fourth time. This time, in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” its all about Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow.

The movie continues where the third film left off with Captain Jack searching for the Fountain of Youth. He soon finds himself on Black Beard’s magical ship, racing against English and Spanish ships to reach the legendary fountain.

From mermaids hungry for humans to zombie lackeys, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is full of action and comedy.

Penelope Cruz, the new female lead, did well as Jack’s love interest. However, my favorite new character would have to be Ian McShane as the cold-hearted, yet still comical, Black Beard. He’s certainly the most contemptible of all the pirates seen in the four films.

Unfortunately, this Pirates didn’t matched up to some of the previous ones. Many of the new characters lacked the distinct and interesting personalities that were found in even the minor characters of the first films, and I spotted some obvious continuity errors.

The movie was occasionally all over the place. Characters from the beginning never reappeared and the plot was sometimes confusing.

Despite any shortcomings, the film is extremely humorous and has many thrilling and witty action scenes. It is a lighthearted and very entertaining film that all ages can enjoy, especially those who are already Pirates of the Caribbean fans.

Aran Kirschenmann, 15, is a contributing writer for the Bellevue Reporter and a freshman at The International School in Bellevue. You may reach and connect with her on her Facebook page “The Young Critic.”