An Excellent Family Adventure

Rating: 10/10 (18 October 2013)

Walt Disney's beloved theme park ride comes to life in the hilariously entertaining comedy-action film, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). Pirates stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley with a supporting cast of Jack Davenport, Lee Arenberg, Mackenzie Crook, Kevin McNally, and Zoe Saldana. Set in the picturesque 18th century Spanish Main (part of the New World empire), Pirates of the Caribbean delivers an exhilarating adventure that will keep the viewers coming back for more!
The film opens with young Will Turner (Bloom) being rescued from a ship wreck by Captain Norrington's (Davenport) crew as they are sailing from England to Port Royal. Young Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) is present and discovers a medallion on the unconscious Will. She steals it, fearing he is a pirate. Eight years later, Elizabeth, who just happens to be the governor's daughter, has become quite the beauty and has captured the attention of both Captain-soon-to-be-Commodore Norrington and the all-grown-up Will Turner. Elizabeth is secretly in love with Will, however, she is unable to profess her love due to his lowly status as a blacksmith. Elizabeth's life is further complicated by the arrival of the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow who after threatening Miss Swann and crossing blades with Turner, is thrown in jail. To make matters worse, a band of pirates lead by Captain Barbossa attack Port Royal and abducts Elizabeth in search of the medallion she possesses. Desperate to rescue Elizabeth, Will enlists Jack's help, who only agrees to help in order to get back his beloved ship, The Black Pearl, stolen by Barbossa. With this unlikely pair, a damsel in distress, a villainous crew of pirates who aren't all that they appear to be and plenty of sword fighting, Pirates leads its viewers on a swashbuckling adventure with an explosive finale.
Gore Verbinski does a fantastic job at directing this film, engaging the audience from start to finish. With contrasting scenes of light and dark, choppy angled camera shots and breathtaking panoramas of the Caribbean islands and sea, Verbinski puts the audience at the center of the adventure. After all, Pirates is based on a theme park ride, and the movie is nothing short of exciting. For example, during the epic ship battle scene, Verbinski alternates low angle, close-up shots of the ships' bows pitching in the waves with high angle, long shots of the whole ship and its crews fighting. He also uses a plethora of close-up cannons going off and guns being fired in succession with facial expressions to convey the intensity of the situation, providing an utterly thrilling sequence of scenes that creates a vicarious experience for the audience.
Above all else, however, is the impeccable performance by Johnny Depp. Borrowing mannerisms from rocker Keith Richards and adding his own drunken- inspired flair, Depp is convincing as a seasoned pirate with a vendetta on a no holds barred quest. Depp reaches deep into himself to bring Captain Jack Sparrow to life, completely immersing himself into his character and capturing the audience with his bad-boy charm and devil-may-care attitude mixed with his feminine swaying walk and "guy-liner." Balancing Sparrow between villain and hero, Depp enchants the audience into sympathizing with Jack. Much of Depp's brilliance as Sparrow is conveyed solely through the body language of Jack. Even when he has no lines, Depp's Sparrow engages the audience through quirky facial expressions and woozy bodily movements; even when he is an observing character he keeps the attention on him. Perhaps Depp's most crowning moment comes when Sparrow is marooned on an island with the beautiful Elizabeth Swann. Depp manages to play off Jack's unrestrained interest in Miss Swann without offsetting the audience who has already invested in Will and Elizabeth's love for one another, and when Elizabeth burns all of his rum, Depp brilliantly portrays Jack's baffled rage in what may be the funniest portion of the film. Although a great movie by itself, Depp elevates the film to epic status.
All in all, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a wonderfully entertaining film that is great for all ages. Classic and original all in once, Pirates of the Caribbean is not your average pirate epic, but a fresh and captivating story with traditional underscores. This film is a must see for anyone who enjoys an action packed, adventure with lovable and endearing characters and larger than life special effects.