Everything a Pirate movie should have

Rating: 8/10 (14 July 2003)

This was a great pirate movie. It has been a long time since a high budget pirate movie has come out. The last attempt was the dismal "CUTTHROAT ISLAND." And where that movie failed, POTC succeeds.

POTC has everything that a pirate movie should have. Plenty of swashbuckling action, of course. Lots of beautiful sailing ships. Huge pirate vs. Navy battles with side guns blazing and swords flashing. Mysterious islands with hidden treasures. And of course, a great sword fight showdown on top of a mountain of burried treasure.

Of course, the highlight and the twist to this movie is that some of the pirates are somewhat ghosts, suffering from a curse. The special effects team at ILM has once again impressed me. The effects are amazing. As the pirates move around, passing in and out of the moonlight, they transition so smoothly back and forth from ghostly skeleton to flesh. It is seemless and very realistic. There are an amazing amount of special effects shots in this movie that must have taken hours of pains taking work. The special effects are definitely worth seeing, and they do not skimp.

More importantly, perhaps, is the story of POTC. The story is very well written, and the key characters of the script have very clearly defined motivations. Captain Sparrow wants his ship back and to take revenge on the mutaneers. The pirates want the curse lifted, and need the blood of one of their own. Elizabeth wants to be with the blacksmith she has loved since childhood. And he wants to be with her. Naturally the pirates kidnap Elizabeth and the blacksmith is off to rescue her no matter what, and to discover his own origins. All of these needs and wants are presented clearly and quickly in the movie, and backed up with a lot of great action. This makes the movie a lot of fun to watch.
The leading lady, Elizabeth, is incredibly hot. They did a great job casting her, because she is a lot of fun to look at. But that brings me to my only complaint about the movie. She seems to be the only really hot girl in the whole movie. I think it could have used a few more hot girls. But then, I always think that.
There is a lot of great stunt work, with a lot of great rigging. But the stunts are not so over the top that they become distracting, which was the case in both "CHARLIE'S ANGELS" movies. POTC takes you back to stunts in the style of an Indiana Jones film.
On top of a great story, great writing, great casting, great locations, and great action, this movie is also funny. There were many moments that the entire audience was laughing out loud. Go see this movie, you will not be disappointed. You will have a good time.
Definitely worth the price of admission.