I attended a complimentary media preview of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mean Tell No Tales to facilitate my review of the movie. All thoughts, opinions, and Johnny Depp fangirling are my own.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mean Tell No Tales hits theaters May 26, 2017. It is the fifth film in the series, so hopefully, you are familiar with at least one of the movies. In celebration of the movie, I created a really fun pirate t-shirt design. Have you seen those repeat shirts before? It’s usually 2 or three actions and then repeat. “Eat. Sleep. Game. Repeat.” or “Eat. Sleep. Gym. Repeat.” are some examples. They are very popular right now. I wanted to come up with a fun pirate themed repeat shirt and I landed on “Pirate. Pillage. Plunder. Repeat.” Pirates love their treasure so the center of the design is a representation of an old gold coin.

Let me be clear, I’m talking about maritime pirating and not anything to do with the modern take on technological pirating. That’s a big no-no. I was actually able to wear my Pirate T-shirt to the screening which was a lot of fun. I saw lots of people in their pirate gear. I normally wait to see a movie and get my inspiration. It’s rare that I can make a project to wear to the screening.

 

Let’s talk about the movie and then I’ll give you all the details to make your own Pirates of the Caribbean inspired shirt. Way back in 2003, the first Pirates of the Caribbean film came out and I LOVED it. I think I saw it four times in the theater. I kept dragging friends with me that hadn’t seen it yet. In fact, my very first date with my husband was to see Pirates of the Caribbean. It was pretty awesome because my husband and I went to the screening as our 13th anniversary date! I have loved the whole film franchise and it holds a special place in my heart.

In this installment of Pirates of the Caribbean, Johnny Depp returns to the big screen as the iconic, swashbuckling anti-hero Jack Sparrow. The rip-roaring adventure finds down-on-his-luck Captain Jack feeling the winds of ill-fortune blowing strongly his way when deadly ghost sailors, led by the terrifying Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), escape from the Devil’s Triangle bent on killing every pirate at sea—notably Jack. Jack’s only hope of survival lies in the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it he must forge an uneasy alliance with Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), a brilliant and beautiful astronomer, and Henry (Brenton Thwaites), a headstrong young sailor in the Royal Navy. At the helm of the Dying Gull, his pitifully small and shabby ship, Captain Jack seeks not only to reverse his recent spate of ill fortune but to save his very life from the most formidable and malicious foe he has ever faced.

So now that you know what it’s about, let me tell you what I thought. This film felt the most like the first film to me and that’s a great thing. There are lots of great escapes that Jack Sparrow is known for. I really enjoyed seeing so many cast members from previous movies come back and reprise their roles. Speaking of cameos there is a really special one that had everyone in the theater gasping. I don’t want to give any more than that away, but you’ll know it when you see it. It’s a fun film that I think any fan of the franchise will enjoy. If this is your first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, I do recommend going back and watching the others first. This film can definitely stand on its own but I think it’s fun to really know who everyone is.  

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mean Tell No Tales is rated PG-13 and I think that was the appropriate rating. As you read in the synopsis, the movie is full of ghost sailors bent on killing everyone. The way they are depicted is incredible and very realistic. I can definitely see younger children being frightened. I have children that are 9 and 11 that are on the sensitive end of the spectrum when it comes to media. Neither one of them will be seeing it until they are a few years older.

Before the movie, I was not familiar with Kaya Scodelario or Brenton Thwaites. I thought they were a great addition to the series and I hope they continue making Pirates of the Caribbean film. As long as there is a Pirates of the Caribbean film playing, I’ll be seeing it! Oh, and I do want to add that there is a scene at the end of the credits. About 85% of the theater left before they saw it! Make sure you stay to the end.

Now that you’re jazzed to see the movie, let’s make an awesome pirate t-shirt.

Pirate – Pillage – Plunder – Repeat: DIY Pirate Shirt

Materials: Contains affiliate links

• T-Shirt
• Copper Heat Transfer Vinyl
• Cutting machine such as a Silhouette Cameo or Cricut Explore
• Pirates on Repeat design (see below)

Instructions:

1. Download the Pirate Shirt Design SVG from my google drive. 
2. Measure your shirt and decide how big you want your design. Here’s a good sizing guide to follow.
3. Cut the design out of copper Heat Transfer Vinyl. Gold or Metallic glitter would look amazing too!
   Don’t forget to flip your design horizontally so you are cutting a mirror image!
4. I use a PowerPress heat press to do my shirts and I LOVE it. If you don’t have a heat press, you can do it with an iron. Just make sure you put as much pressure on the iron as possible. Press as hard as you can, and then press a little harder. Ha!
5. Press the design on your shirt. Immediately remove the clear carrier sheet.

After you see the movie, come back and tell me what you thought. I’d love to hear your thoughts too! In the meantime, get crafting and enjoy your new pirate t-shirt!