Go sailing with these Pirates

Rating: 7/10 (27 June 2006)

At first announcement, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl sounded like a really bad idea to me. It was one of three films announced that would be adaptations (for lack of a better word) of rides or shows at Disneyland. The first was The Country Bears, which I skipped and the third was The Haunted Mansion, which was none too impressive. Pirates of the Caribbean had probably the best cast, headlined by Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush, and was produced by uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer. I was still skeptical, but Pirates of the Caribbean proved to be better than it's pedigree would suggest. It is an entertaining, enjoyable romp, albeit a little overlong.
Pirates of the Caribbean focuses on young Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), a blacksmith's apprentice who has a thing for, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) the daughter of the Governor of the British Caribbean colony of Port Royal, Weatherby Swann (Jonathan Pryce). Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp), a notorious pirate, arrives at Port Royal in search of the Black Pearl, a pirate ship he had previously been Captain of but had been deposed by a uprising led by the ship's first mate, Barbossa (Rush). Sparrow is captured by the local militia when the Pearl attacks the colony and makes off with Elizabeth. Sparrow strikes a deal with Will to help him track down the Pearl and save Elizabeth, but the crew of the Black Pearl are not exactly what they seem: they have stolen and spent Aztec gold, which came complete with a curse that has turned them into the walking dead, a fate they are attempting to reverse and Elizabeth has the last piece of gold they need.
Considering there is a dearth of good, old fashioned swashbuckling films in Hollywood today, Pirates of the Caribbean actually manages to be somewhat unique in the current entertainment climate. It, for the most part, lives up to the visual style you would expect from a pirate film, complete with elaborate sailing ships, down and dirty crew members, plenty of swordfights and cannon battles, not to mention the obligatory walking of the plank. However, director Gore Verbinski and screenwriters Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot don't just deliver a standard pirate film, but one with a nice streak of comedy to it. Most of the humor is derived from the lead of Jack Sparrow. As portrayed by Depp, the master of cinematic eccentricity, Sparrow is a rather unusual pirate. Yes, he is self-serving and double-crossing, but he is also played with such a humorous air and a light touch by Depp as to become endearing. He also ensures that we aren't just looking at an actor using the role of a pirate to provide the usual moustache twirling. Jack isn't a hero, but he's not a villain either.
Pirates of the Caribbean is an attractive enough film, no expense was spared in creating an environment that fits the material and when the action sequences kick in, they are engaging enough. However, this kind of film is still somewhat fluffy entertainment, not exactly the deepest of material, and Pirates of the Caribbean manages to overstay it's welcome a bit. The film runs 143 minutes, and eventually, it starts to feel like it. It never grinds to a complete halt, but it has no less than three points where it would seem to be reaching a conclusion and yet manages to keep going. This is the kind of film that needs to clock in well under two hours, not run two and half.
The rest of the cast acquits themselves well. Rush turns in a decent performance as the villainous Barbossa, Bloom is appropriately fresh-faced and yet defiant enough as Will and Keira Knightley manages to blend her good looks with fire as Elizabeth. The film also boasts some nice visual effects when the Black Pearl crew is exposed to moonlight, when they are revealed as walking skeletons.
All in all, Pirates of the Caribbean is a good, fun movie that is more than worth checking out, just don't be surprised if you start checking your watch a little late into the film.