On Stranger Tides escalates from there to closing mega-thrills so determinedly spiced that your palate is left almost jaded." Jack Adrian says that "Tim Powers has further refertilized the Sabatini swashbuckler," and describes the novel as a skillful blend of "high seas adventure with sorcery and black magic." Kim Newman based the name of a vampire in his "Anno Dracula" series on the main character of "On Stranger Tides". Ron Gilbert has been widely quoted that the "Monkey Island" series of adventure games was inspired by Disneyland's "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride. However, he stated in a blog that the ride was mainly
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Stranger Tides" as "a smaller film than past installments, by design and necessity", and felt that "the series has needed this streamlining" as the film "feels lightweight, but that's still better than bloated." "On Stranger Tides" also had positive reviews; some critics found the film to be entertaining and well-made. Richard Roeper gave the film a B+, describing it as "the most fun installment since the first", calling the story "pure cartoon, but a lot easier to follow than the other sequels", and summing as "the franchise is getting tired, but Penelope energizes it." Along the same lines, Ann Hornaday