The Moose Hole - Review of Pirates of the Caribbean

Rating: 9/10 (10 July 2003)

The Walt Disney Company, which has been known for family fun and entertainment, has had moderate success at the box office with their animated films and pre-teen oriented live action films. Unfortunately they have not had the success of franchises like Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings. Disney has been so desperate for a hit lately that they have dug not only into their archives and remaking some of their classic films like Freaky Friday but they have attempted to make film versions of their famous Disneyland attractions. Their first attempt at making the cross over from attraction to film, The Country Bears, was an embarrassment. The film barely (pardon the pun) pulled in $16 million in its entire run against a production budget of $20 million. Not only was the film a financial failure but a critical one as well. The studio hopes to bounce back from that failure with the film version of Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates is helmed by Gore Verbinski, director of the horror hit The Ring, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Not only that but it stars Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp with special effects created by Industrial Light and Magic. How could it fail? Quite easily. The film is about pirates and pirates have been deemed box office poison for years. Look at Disney's Treasure Planet as a most recent example. So can the good aspects out weigh the bad and break the pirate curse or will all this `yo ho, ho' be just a `bottle of rum'?
The story follows the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, a pirate who seems to be low on his luck. It all started when he crew created mutiny on his ship nearly ten years ago and left him deserted on an island in the middle of the Caribbean. Ever since then he has been moving from place to place searching for the Black Pearl. It is just by coincidence that he is captured on the same island where the last piece of cursed treasure is located. What cursed treasure? The treasure of Cortez that was stolen by the crew, lead by Captain Barbossa, that mutinied nearly ten years ago. The problem is that treasure was cursed and unless the treasure is returned, these men will be the living undead. They will turn into skeletons at night but look human in the daylight. They will also be unable to eat, drink, sleep, or even feel until the curse is broken. WillTurner, a blacksmith of the town, joins with Captain Jack after Barbossa and his crew kidnaps his true love, Elizabeth Turner. But there are more mysterious reasons for Turner to follow the Black Pearl that involve Captain Jack Sparrow as well. The story for The Curse of the Black Pearl is an exciting one though there are many holes in it. Those holes always seem to appear in the scripts of Bruckheimer films, so this film seems to be no different. It is best just to ignore those holes in the plot and sit back to enjoy a great action flick. One has to admit, though, that the dialogue within the film was much more serious then previous Bruckheimer films which indicate he is learning to mature his film making.
The cast for Pirates of the Caribbean is very well put together. Johnny Depp, who has worked on Sleepy Hollow and Edward Scissorhands, is probably the best feature of the film outside the special effects. Depp makes the role of Captain Jack Sparrow his very own and presents a style to him that makes you want to trust him but knowing he is a pirate tells you to be wary. The comedic timing presented Depp is absolutely perfect and works very well in every scene he is in. Depp performs so well that you feel an emotional connection to him that makes the ending all the more intense. Orlando Bloom, who is best known for his role in The Lord of the Rings series, does a good job as Will Turner. There are still some questions about the character that remain unanswered at the end of the film but that has more to do with the script then with Bloom's performance. Geoffrey Rush is absolutely devilish as Captain Barbossa. He presents a style that is both charming and creepy at the same time, which works exceedingly well in this film. Keira Knightly, who had a breakout role in Bend It like Beckham, does a wonderful job as Elizabeth Swann, the governor's daughter who is much tougher then most would think. The remainder of the cast is perfect for the most part. The only role that seems out of place is Governor Swann, played by Jonathan Pryce. There just seemed to be too little of the character and when the character is shown, he doesn't do anything for the scenes. He is just a mere distraction that doesn't work very well.
Overall, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is probably one of the best action flicks of the year. There may be a lot of holes in the plot of the story and at moments there may be no point to certain sword fights, but that doesn't seem to matter at all. The special effects, created by Industrial Light and Magic, are the most amazing CGI work that has been seen in quite awhile. The skeletons look absolutely astounding and look even better in the final fight sequence of the film. The musical score for the picture is very original and works so well. Altogether everything seems to come together for the film and presents a delightful action flick that is so rare these days. There were very few problems for the film. The only one that can be thought of right away is the time length. At a time of two hours and twenty minutes, the film seems a bit too longer for the audience that it is intended for but that is a small squabble compared to overall effect of the film. Not a theatrical classic but an out and out good popcorn action flick for the whole family.
My Rating: ****1/2 out of 5 (Grade: A)