Handsomely Produced, Exciting And Amusing Pirate Adventure

Rating: 7/10 (7 August 2005)

A group of mutinous pirates, led by the villainous Barbossa, have been cursed to sail the seas as ghosts until they return every last gold coin from a stolen Aztec treasure chest. Their former leader, Captain Jack Sparrow, is seeking his revenge upon Barbossa and the return of his ship, The Black Pearl. The pirates kidnap the Governor's daughter, who possesses one of the coins, and the scene is set for a heroic rescue ...
Here's a movie first I think - a film based on a theme-park ride - but Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's script is a tremendous action-filled pirate adventure in the classic style, with plenty of sea-dogs, cutlass waving, treasure-hunting, unrequited love and general swashbuckling. There is a lot of good-natured mugging by the likable cast, but Depp steals the show as the lovable Jack Sparrow - bold and dashing but also downtrodden and dubious, with a wonderful Cockney accent and too much mascara. Verbinski balances the film beautifully, keeping the story rolling along nicely, with action, scares, comedy and romance in equal measure. There are several terrific set-pieces; the swordfight between Depp and Bloom in a smithy, a moonlight sequence where the pirates are revealed in all their ghostly glory, a great bit where Depp and Bloom steal a ship but get caught by a faster ship and boarded and then steal that ship, and a great escape-the-hangman's-noose scene at the end. There is a wonderfully rousing score by Klaus Badelt, great visual effects by John Knoll, and Jerry Bruckheimer's production is lavish. Everybody should enjoy a good pirate movie from time to time, and this one is terrific.