Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Parents need to know that Pirates of Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is the fifth Pirates film starring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. It focuses on a mission Sparrow shares with Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) -- the only son of earlier franchise stars William Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), neither of whom appears much in the film. This time around, an older, drunker (he downs a lot of rum) Sparrow faces yet another great enemy: the ghost of a pirate-killing Spanish captain, Salazar (Javier Bardem). As usual for this series, expect lots of action violence and a high body count, with lots of close-range sword-fighting and killings (Salazar only ever leaves one man alive aboard a ship). People die in gun battles, from drowning, via burning, and from having their throats slit. The romance is light and limited to Sparrow's innuendos, some double-meaning jokes, and a couple of kisses. Language is mild, mostly limited to "damn" and "hell." Despite the popularity of this franchise -- and the fact that it offers messages about unconditional family love, women's intelligence/worth, and teamwork -- it's still too scary for young kids.