Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Director: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom
Synopsis:
Impressions:
You don't really see much of the old-fashioned swashbuckler anymore and after Cutthroat Island, you'd be forgiven for thinking pirate movies were dead in the water. Making a movie based on a Disney theme park ride doesn't sound like the way to revive them either, but this movie pleasantly surprises. It's a fun movie with good action and humor that holds up well to multiple viewings.
When The Lord of the Rings trilogy was being made, I heard crewmembers compare Orlando Bloom to Errol Flynn and here you can definitely see him playing the part of a latter day Flynn. Some people complain of Will Turner being a bland character, but he's a good straight man to act as a foil for the quirky cast around him. Keira Knightley does well as the plucky Elizabeth Swann (and I found her far more interesting than most people cast in the love interest role in this kind of movie), but the real stars are Johnny Depp in his iconic portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow (which seems to have bled into a lot of his performances since) and Geoffrey Rush as his nemesis Captain Barbossa. The incidental cast are also quite colorful and add a lot of memorable variety.
With studios like ILM heading up special effects, you know you're in for good stuff on the visual front. I also like how most of the pirates are monstrously filthy and grimy. Realism obviously isn't the primary thrust, but there is a grittiness that makes for a nice verisimilitude within the fantastical setting.
As you likely know, this film has spawned four sequels with another film circling around in development hell for years. These sequels are somewhat contested, but I'll get to that when I cover them. Whatever your opinion of the sequels, though, this movie is solid and remains so. Go see it if you haven't already and I would say add it to your collection.
Rating:Own It