"Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate."

Rating: 10/10 (28 December 2005)

The first time I watched this movie was sometime during the summer of 2003. I read about it a bit, heard about it from a friend, and decided it sounded like a nice movie, so I might as well go watch it. And at first, I came out thinking it was a nice movie, nothing more. But I had watched it again later. And again. And again. And you could say the movie grew on me, because while I admit this isn't the best film ever made, it is my favorite movie.
So what makes this so great? It's fun. I can watch it many times over and over and never grow tired of it. Be it the incredible fight scenes, the captivating scenery, the rich and amusing dialogue, the interesting plot line, or the unbelievable acting, something about this movie never bores me and just has me watching it again and again. I have seen the Star Wars movies many times, and can find myself growing bored while watching them. I have seen the Indiana Jones films many times, and lately found myself beginning to grow a bit bored while watching them (they are still enormous fun, though). I have seen Pirates more than any of the previous films, and never once have I been bored with it. Too often I catch it on the TV, sit down to watch a favorite scene, and stick on for the rest of the movie. It simply never gets old, and it's just as fun to watch it the tenth time as it is to watch it the first time.
Part of the reason for it is, I suppose, that the movie doesn't really rely much on its plot to progress. Sure, it has a good, solid and interesting plot: the town of Port Royal is attacked by the cursed pirate ship, the Black Pearl, captained by the vile captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), daughter of the governor of Port Royal, is kidnapped by the pirates due to a certain medallion she possesses and the name she gives the pirates as her own. Young Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), the local blacksmith who has a secret love for Elizabeth, goes to rescue her and enlists to his help captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), who has his own plans regarding Will, the Black Pearl and Barbossa. It is interesting to see how the plot develops, but what really holds you are the magnificent scenes that come one after another. Whether it's the amazing sword fights (such as the early fight between Will and Jack, an extremely well-choreographed and amusing clash), the naval battles (fire all cannons, arr!) or the stellar performance by Johnny Depp, each scene is as captivating as the previous.
I have mentioned all the good things in this movie (and yes, there are a lot of them), but the absolute best is the acting: Bloom and Knightley are good as Will and Elizabeth, each portraying their characters personalities extremely well, and you can believe that the two care about each other. Geoffrey Rush is extremely captivating as the villainous captain Barbossa. He manages to look, feel and sound like a true villain (even adding a little "arr!" here and there) while still having us believe that Barbossa is a human after all, with motives and feelings. You can understand why he's doing what he's doing in the movie. And as for why he's a pirate - that's what rotten scalawags such as him do. The true star of this movie, though, is Johnny Depp. Jack Sparrow is incredible - he acts a bit drunk and a bit crazy (to the extent where you hardly see the difference when he actually is drunk!), yet he is also cunning, intelligent and thoughtful. He is also amusing to no end, dishing out funny lines one after another, while maintaining to remain serious when the time calls for it. Depp's acting in this movie is truly the best I have ever seen in my opinion, and I believe to this day that he has been robbed of his rightful Oscar.
And finally, I can't help but mention, that simply the fact that this is a pirate movie makes it so fun. Pirates are fun, and I am really interested in pirates. This film may not give a historically accurate version of piracy (I don't recall undead pirates ever mentioned in history books) but it's still fun, and gives you everything you need when it comes to the romanticized view of pirates that's so dominant in today's modern culture.
Jack Sparrow says at one time during the movie: "Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate." and this is especially true of this film. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is treasure. It's a captivating, enriching experience. You'll come out with a smile on your face, and the mood for swashbuckling. Anyone who hasn't watched it yet, hurry up and do. Anyone who has, go watch it again. It's worth it. I'd give it 11 out of 10 if only I could. ARR!!