Quite simply, terrific fun!

Rating: 9/10 (8 January 2011)

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl When the first Pirates of the Caribbean film came out in 2003, expectations were low. Recent swashbuckling fare in the cinemas had been disappointing to say the least (Cutthroat Island anyone?) and this new Disney adventure was based on a theme park ride! Early production news was generally greeted with trepidation, rather than anticipation - which made Pirates of the Caribbean such a wonderful surprise. 2 hours of rollicking adventure that harks back to the glory days of Errol Flynn and the like, and more recently films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark. Such was the impact of Pirates of the Caribbean that it not only spawned a trilogy (with a fourth in the works) but completely refreshed and re-launched the family adventure, leading to enjoyable imitations such as National Treasure – and even providing the impetus for Spielberg to finally get round to making the fourth Indiana Jones movie. Even Johnny Depp can be grateful for this juggernaut of a franchise; his outstanding show-stealing performance reinvigorated his career and thrust him into the mainstream of Hollywood, as well as landing him a thoroughly deserved Oscar nomination.
The plot (such as it is), opens with a suitably creepy nautical fog scene – which proves somewhat deliberately disingenuous for what is to come. After a misleading tone is set, a plot develops which revolves around a band of bloodthirsty pirates searching for some treasure or other in order to free themselves from a curse, with our swashbuckling heroes in valiant pursuit, trying to save the captured damsel in distress. So far, so predictable. But what makes Pirates work is that it knows how corny it is, and rather than trying to disguise it, director Verbinski and producer Bruckheimer (who has his explosive and exaggerated fingerprints all over this yarn), turn the corny all the way up to 11. What follows is a true piece of enjoyable escapist cinema. It may not be highbrow, but it sure is entertaining, and Johnny Depp is truly a revelation as Captain Jack Sparrow. For all his previously eccentric parts in Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands and the like, this is the role which will forever define him – and Depp is fine with that! The treasure is little more than a macguffin, and it is the characters – particularly Depp's Sparrow – not the plot, which provide the basis of what is a very entertaining film.
Yet while Depp does steal the show, it is not solely his film. Orlando Bloom does (barely) manage to expand his emotional range from that seen in Lord of the Rings, and Keira Knightley manages to display for the first time the contradictory qualities of feisty modern heroine and elegant damsel in distress that gave her success in Pride and Prejudice and The Duchess. Geoffrey Rush however, is the equal to Depp in scene-stealing stakes, and provides a fascinating villain to the piece.
All the ingredients for a fully enjoyable epic adventure are here. Exotic locations? Check. Stellar (largely British) supporting cast? Check. Swordfights and chase scenes? Check. A scene-stealing heroic lead who dishes out one-liners galore? Check. Finally, an enjoyably hokum plot with some macguffin or other at its centre? Double check. All of these elements combine wonderfully to make Pirates of the Caribbean greater than the sum of its not-inconsiderable parts.