Incredibly fun and entertaining swashbuckler

Rating: 8/10 (27 December 2016)

Gore Verbinski's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl has become one of Disney's staples in modern cinema. It completely smashed the box office for it's year and has since held up incredibly well. This Pirates of the Caribbean entry has set the standard for swashbuckler and just adventure films in general, as well as create on the most recognizable and influential movie characters of all time, Captain Jack Sparrow. Johnny Depp's eccentric performance aside, Pirates is still an immensely entertaining adventure film with likable characters, great action and an unwavering sense of confidence.
This entry to the Pirates series has an energy and personality that all the other entries lack. The story moves at such a pace where we never have time to become disinterested as we advance through the adventure at a break-neck speed. We also have a cast of very likable characters that show great on screen chemistry as well as providing the majority of the films energy and personality. All this, along with the excellently choreographed action sequences, makes Curse of the Black Pearl an infinitely re-watchable and endlessly enjoyable adventure.
Black Pearl features a very talented cast that each excellently fit their roles. They share great on- screen chemistry and the well written dialogue they deliver make their characters even more likable. While the acting overall was pretty great and fun to watch, there is no doubt that Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow carried the movie entirely as his performance alone gave the film the majority of it's character. Captain Jack Sparrow is one of cinema's most recognizable and widely liked characters as Depp's phenomenal delivery and unique mannerism makes him perfect for the eccentric pirate. It really is hard to think of anyone else more suitable for the role. There is a broad spectrum of different characters here, but any viewer is guaranteed to find at least one to like and cheer on throughout.
The story, while admittedly quite silly, has a surprising amount of layers and themes varying from friendship to loyalty and honesty. This being a Disney film, it of course is going to have themes like this, but the way these messages are delivered feel natural, not just pandering to the child audience.
One of the things that did kind of bother me was the execution of the subject matter. Disney's try at a pirate themed franchise seems strange as pirates usually indulged in violence, booze and women, making it a difficult subject for Disney to tackle without greatly cutting down on some aspects. There is an easily noticeable sense of goofiness and censorship throughout the film's action scenes. It doesn't necessarily ruin these scenes, but it does lack a sense of tension and intensity after Disney's tweaking. It doesn't quite satisfy the want for a "real" pirate film with gritty and realistic action sequences, but Black Pearl is still a fun venture for anyone to enjoy.
Another complaint is the run-time of the film. It clocks in at about 2 1/2 hours, which wouldn't be a problem if the film has enough substance to carry itself through the longer-than-average run-time, but Curse of the Black Pearl noticeably slows after 2 hours. Despite the fast-paced action of these 2 hours, the last 30 minutes makes the entire film feel overlong as it struggles to hold my attention in this time, especially during the literally pointless fight scenes involving Captain Jack Sparrow, who literally cannot die.
Despite the overlong run-time and somewhat censored pirate themes, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is still a fantastically fun adventure filled with likable characters and great action choreography. Bursting with energy and wit, this entry to the Pirates series kick-started a following of copycats and wannabes, but none will ever come close to touching the personality and character Black Pearl so effortlessly pulls off.