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

Rating: 8/10 (16 September 2005)

Based on a really popular attraction at the Disney theme parks in Paris and Florida, this is a really good film from director Gore Verbinski (Mousehunt, The Ring). A long while ago, a ship crew found a young boy floating in the ocean, he later became a blacksmith. By the way, when he was found as a kid, the young daughter of the ship to a necklace he was wearing with a piece of Aztec gold. Now years on Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) the blacksmith one day meets the man who knows about the gold, and the pirates that seek it. Jack Sparrow (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Johnny Depp) and Will are now on the trail of these pirates when they kidnap the daughter (with the gold), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). The pirates are on the so-called cursed ship called The Black Pearl, lead by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). Basically they want the piece of gold because it is the last one they need to lift a curse off them. Also starring Jack Davenport as Norrington, Jonathan Pryce as Governor Weatherby Swann, The Office's Mackenzie Crook as Ragetti and Lee Arenberg as Pintel. It was nominated for the Oscars for Best Makeup, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects, and it won the BAFTA for Best Make Up/Hair, and it was nominated for Best Special Visual Effects, Best Costume Design and Best Sound. Johnny Depp was number 22 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, Orlando Bloom was number 17 (with Viggo Mortensen), and Depp number 9 on The 100 Greatest Sex Symbols, and Depp was number 2 on The World's Greatest Actor, and Bloom was number 5 on The 50 Greatest British Actors, Keira Knightley was number 9 on The 50 Greatest British Actresses, and the film was number 4 on The 100 Greatest Family Films. Very good!