An entertaining action-adventure

Rating: 8/10 (30 September 2010)

"The Pirates of The Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl", 2003
Directed by: Gore Verbinski
* * *
Viewed: September 30, 2010
The first chapter of what was to be a successful trilogy, is an entertaining, big scale adventure film, loaded with action and visual effects. Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, gives an impressive performance in the film, complete with accent, energy and mannerisms.
The film, at nearly 2 1/2 hours, is longer than usual, for it's genre of action/adventure. The film moves along at an energetic pace, and considering the scale of it's story, does not feel overly long.
The story concerns pirate Captain Jack Sparrow's return from exile and meeting up by chance, with the owner of a fabled pirate medallion, believed to have the power to help lift an old deadly "curse of the black pearl".
Technically, the film delivers, along with Johnny Depp's acting performance. One should not expect much from the story however, as it was inspired by a Disney Land theme park attraction. The story is a blend of action, adventure, fantasy and humor. I imagine, humor was added to lighten up the film as a whole and provide additional entertainment value, while not frightening it's targeted young audience too much. The somewhat solid story has some convenient plot points to move things along, but there is a large cast of characters: heroes and villains, to help keep things interesting. Keep watching until the end of the closing credits, for a sneak preview of the story set up, for the next film in the trilogy.
The real stars of this film: Director Gore Verbinski, Johnny Depp and the technical/effects crew.