Pirates Of The Caribbean : The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)

When trying to predict which would be the best blockbuster of Summer 2003 it was unlikely that many people would pick this film. It had an unwieldy title, a relatively obscure director, had attracted widespread derision for being based on a theme park ride and was being made by Disney – not a company with the best of reputations for live-action films. It is therefore somewhat surprising that after all the major contenders have been released that it seems to be this film that seems to be regarded by most people as the best Hollywood movie of the Summer.

Thankfully the Disneyland theme park ride only provides the title and a couple a couple of small references, the plot itself is an original (if slightly derivative) piece of work. Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) is a young blacksmith who has become infatuated with the local governor’s daughter Elizabeth (Keira Knightley). They first meet after being rescued by the ship she is on while he was a young boy after the ship he was on was attacked by pirates. Fearing that the sinister medallion he was wearing might mean he was mistaken for a pirate the young Elizabeth took it from him and kept it in a safe place. Unfortunately, the medallion happens to be the last coin of an ancient Aztec treasure that is eagerly being sought by the Caribbean’s most vicious group of pirates. The crew of the Black Pearl, led by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) needs the medallion to lift an Aztec curse they brought upon themselves by trying to steal the treasure. This curse turns them into undead creatures who appear normal (by pirate crew standards) by day but they become zombiefied if exposed to moonlight. After a raid on the town they steal away Elizabeth and the medallion, meaning that Will has to somehow find their well-hidden lair to save her life. Elizabeth’s father Governor Swann (Jonathon Pryce) and he potential fiance Commodore Norrington (Jack Davenport) are keen to track her down, but despite having the might of the British Navy behind them Will fears it will not be enough. He enlists the help of pirate captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), recently incarcerated in the colony’s prison and a former acquaintance of the crew of the Black Power. In exchange for his freedom, and possibly for his own goals as well, Sparrow helps Turner steal a ship and set off on pursuit of the Black Pearl.

For a blockbuster it does have a reasonably convoluted plot, however it is quite simple to follow. The plot itself is a bit unexceptional – full of pirate story cliches, lacking in depth and with too many ‘comedy moments’ for it to be taken seriously. A deep plot is not really important for a blockbuster however, if the script is decent and, fortunately, the script here is highly entertaining. The characters are interesting, the dialogue witty and memorable, there are a few clever scenes and for a blockbuster script there is little here to criticise.

Probably the best feature of the film is acting. The consistently excellent Depp is on fine form as the eccentric pirate Captain Sparrow. Basing his performance on Rolling Stone Keith Richards his pirate is an unusual and memorably entertaining character who steals the show away from the nominal hero played by Bloom. Orlando Bloom delivers a competent performance but is unfortunate enough to be surrounded by a superb cast who end up overshadowing him a bit. Keira Knightley does a bit better, giving a good performance as the strong-willed heroine. Geoffrey Rush and Jonathon Pryce give excellent performances as the veterans of the film, and there is a strong supporting cast featuring a number of good performances.

One advantage of pirate movies is that the pirate ships themselves make an excellent visual setting; this is complemented by some beautiful Caribbean scenery. The CGI for the ghostly special effects is flawless, with the zombie pirates looking as convincing as it is possible for zombie pirates to look. The direction is solid rather than spectacular - this also applies to the action scenes which are fine but nothing special until the last few scenes. There is an excellent soundtrack as well.

In summary, this is a surprisingly good film with some excellent acting. The plot may lack depth and being a Disney film it is a sanitised version of pirate life but it is consistently entertaining.

Rating : 8½ / 10

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All content ©2003 William Marnoch.

Comments? Agree/Disagree with the Reviews? Suggestions? Random Ramblings? Whatever you might want to say, feel free to e-mail me at william@wmarnoch.freeserve.co.uk .