A summer blockbuster that will stand the test of time

Rating: 9/10 (27 July 2003)

It's bizarre, if you think about it.
Millions of people are crowding theaters to see a movie about pirates - that famously dead genre that nonetheless gets resurrected by a studio executive every few years, to the same crushing defeat. Yet "Pirates" is slipping by minor percentages each week in the box office, outperforming sure-fire blockbusters that opened after it did, and garnering repeat viewings in what must be record numbers.
How did this happen?
Start with two brilliant character actors who are both over-the-top and yet utterly within character, and who shine in equal measure when they share the screen: Johnny Depp and the not-oft-enough-mentioned Geoffrey Rush.
Add the archetypal forbidden romance between members of different social caste, who have loved one another since childhood and yet are destined to be apart.
Throw in a swashbuckling score, plenty of well-executed swordplay, great special effects and enough humor to keep all the melodrama from eliciting groans.
These are the elements of a box office phenomenon.
For those of us who look for more in our movies than "that was fun", there's plenty to keep us in our seats (or get us back in our seats, as was the case with me):
The story is intricate, the legend well-developed and fully explained, and the execution consistent. I've heard every question raised pertaining to the plot of this film, and every one of them is answered within the film. I think those subtle details get missed because there's not a tremendous amount of exposition - which would bog down the movie's pace. Instead, other than a comic diatribe describing the curse of the Black Pearl, we must get our information in bits and pieces, paying close attention to the movie throughout the entire running time. This is the hallmark of screenwriters who care, and who participated in the movie's development. It is also the result of a director who cares about story, and who insisted on getting it right all the way through.
In addition, there are moments of brilliant and unusual cinematography that keep the otherwise-tedious swordplay interesting. Watch the first swordfight between Will and Jack for all the background set details, the movement of the machinery in the blacksmith's shop, and the camera angles. Later, when the curse is in full evidence, the seamless special effects provide visual spice throughout the longer sequences.
On second viewing, the score was a bit heavy-handed (though nowhere near the constant amusement-park calliope of the "Harry Potter" films), and really, it's allowed - we must remember that this film is in part an homage to the ride at the Disney theme parks, and the music is a great way to give a nod to that feeling.
I'll agree that the final 20 minutes or so of the film lag a wee bit - there's one more skeleton-pirates-fighting-melee scene than I personally needed, and everything after that is clearly set up for a sequel. But I won't say I didn't enjoy those 20 minutes, nor can I point to any single part of them that I think the film would have been better without.
I'm a movie buff, but I'm picky. This one will be in my collection, and frequently re-watched, when the DVD comes out. And I have this funny feeling I'll be back to the theater again before it leaves the big screens. 9/10