Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Review

Rating: 9/10 (4 October 2016)

If you heard a movie was coming out based on a theme park ride that would seem like a ridiculous idea, right? Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" did just that. And made it a masterpiece. Although the plot is very good, it is the actors, action and use of effects that make it innovative in itself.
Johnny Depp was brilliant. He is the perfect amount of strange to pull off the role of Jack Sparrow. Sparrow is stupid but also genius. One way Depp plays into this characteristic is by leaning his head in, maybe a little too close, getting in their space and in their heads with his character's sneaky, ridiculous truths. Jack Sparrow is not a good guy, but the way Depp flails his arms and wiggles his fingers makes his character funny and entertaining enough that you end up rooting for him. Depp takes "pirate" to the next level of entertainment.
As Depp is an unforgettable goofy pirate, Geoffery Rush as Captain Barbosa is a villain that people will remember. Barbosa is a bad because of the circumstance of the curse, not just for the sake of being evil. However, Rush's acting gives him more character. He gives Barbosa a harsh voice, wide eyes, sneaking smile and a creepy laugh that shows he knows what he's doing and he's not joking around about breaking the curse. By being more than just a bad guy, he demands respect from not only his crew aboard the Black Pearl, but also the audience.
Along with the characters, the action in the movie is also very entertaining. They have lots of cannon fires and explosions setting things on fire, like when the crew of the Black Pearl attacks the town looking for the gold coin. Along with explosions, when Will and Elizabeth's crew fights the Black Pearl, they are out of cannonballs so they began to launch things like silverware at the other ship. One fun scene is between Jack Sparrow and William Turner. It starts as a typical sword fight, but then they get launched onto the ceiling panels, where the fight gets more interesting. Additions like these are creative and something that helps make the movie memorable. By using all real people doing real stunts, they take advantage of practical effects.
Disney uses practical effects in much more than just fighting. They also built their sets and all of the boats. Not only is it impressive that they built boats suitable for the sea, but they also create a storm. After Jack and his crew leave Tortuga in search of the island the Black Pearl is on, they encounter a huge storm. Instead of using CGI, the scene was created by building a boat in a large pool, creating waves and using rain machines for the storm. Using practical effects instead of special effects gives the movie an authentic feel that many movies lack.
It was the small things in this movie that made it so extraordinary. The actors, set designers, and producers apart of this film helped make it different from the average summer blockbuster. They made it fun, exciting, and slightly strange. Not every movie has to be the same cookie cutter action/adventure movie. In a day and age with tons of movies available to us, it is important that a movie brings something new or interesting to the table to make a mark on the population.