Adventure on the high seas

Rating: Null/10 (26 January 2004)

Peg-legs, swordplay, plank walking, ships, cannons and ancient curses. Now that's what a summer movie should be. We start off in the 1700s, give or take a hundred, in an island off - where else - the Caribbean. After 30 minutes of setup and character introduction, the island is attacked by the Black Pearl and Elizabeth Swann, the Governor's daughter, is taken prisoner. But this is not a random pirate attack. The pirates are victims of an Aztec curse that has left them in a state of undead and need Elizabeth's medallion to break it. The roguish Cap'n Jack Sparrow, former captain of the Black Pearl, sets off after them with Will Turner, his new sidekick. That's basically the movie. Now if you're coming into this expecting an intelligent drama about the dangers of sea life, well, forget it. Go see Master and Commander instead. Pirates is a movie whose sole purpose is to entertain - without insulting your intelligence - and that's what it does. It is one of those rare films that's both good and fun, and much credit belongs to Johnny Depp. It is a mystery as to what compelled Depp to do away with the conventional Errol Flynn pirate and instead channel Keith Richards with a little PePe Le Pew. Depp is an actor who consistently rises above the script, regardless of the film's quality. The stumbling, slurred deliveries, facial expressions and goatee - things that would seem out of place in another movie - only add to the performance because they fit in the context of the film. His performance is funny, charismatic, eccentric, and fully worthy of an Oscar nomination. About time he gets some recognition. Without him this would have been a (marginally) bad film with a good performance from Geoffery Rush. As the mutinous first mate Barbosa, Rush also provides some humorous moments and has some good exchanges with Depp. Orlando Bloom is Will Turner, a blacksmith, who happens to be the reason for the curse. He holds his own as the movie pirate - handsome, thinned mustache, ponytail - and Keira Knightley is equally good as the damsel in distress. The production values - set design, costumes, cinematography - are first rate as are the special effects. The movie could have spent more time in the editing room as it sometimes looses momentum. At two hours twenty minutes, it's about half hour too long. The direction is decent but should have been better. The story is well told but drags whenever Depp's not onscreen. The battle scenes and sword fights could have been better choreographed. They come off flat and fail to provide any thrills. The only enjoyable one is the last one when Sparrow and Barbosa are moving in and out of the lunar beams. Pirates of the Caribbean is a fun swashbuckler with a good cast and should appeal to all, even if the wind occasionally goes out of its sails.