8/6/2019 Pirates Caribbean Black Pearl review

1/2

Pirates of the CaribbeanThe Curse of the Black Pearl

(2003)

It looked like one of the better trailers this summer, full of fun and dash

and humor, with a few names we recognized and a wonderful mixed concept: aghost-pirate story. Never mind that it was based on a silly Disney theme-park

attraction, or that it would be simply one of many action-oriented films coming

out this summer (indeed, it didn't even get the weekend to itself, being forcedto share with LXG). Pirates brimmed with promise, and looked to be one of the

few later-summer films we could actually expect something of.

It mostly lives up to its promise. Pirates is long on humor and action and

serves up enough plot twists to keep the goings-on interesting. The plot isstraightforward; cursed Aztec gold (no spoilers here, this was in the trailer)

has turned a band of cutthroat pirates into cutthroat zombie pirates, and youngElizabeth (Keira Knightley) has the last piece they need to reverse the curse,

etc. So of course the zombies come a-callin' and proceed to ransack PortRoyal and make off with dear young Liz. Of course she has a would-be rescuer,

young Will Turner (Orlando Bloom, whom you probably would recognize as Legolas inPeter Jackson's version of Tolkien), who is hell-bent to go after her no

matter what the dangers.

Enter one Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), a pirate lacking a ship butmaking up for it with complete audacity. Sparrow and Turner end up helping one

another make a chase for the zombies because it suits their mutual desires, butthey're an uneasy pair and never truly get along. Which suits the plot just

fine, because the barbs traded between them are some of the finest in the movie.

The setting and production design is sumptuous; Port Royal actually lookslike it should have, and the British soldiers are all spit and polish (even if

they aren't particularly bright). The ships are all authentically detailed, andif the pirates themselves are a little grimy, well, real pirates were. Pirates

immediately takes you to that other world and sets you there convincingly,keeping you rooted in the seventeenth century (no specific year given) for most

of the film.

The actors help pull you in as well - mostly. Orlando Bloom is nothing to

write home about; he's perfectly acceptable as Will Turner, but his character is

kind of a flat straight man, a colorless young buck without any particular

quirks or flaws that make him interesting. He's fine, but uninspired. Luckily, he's theonly one like that. Most of the pirates are colorful knaves but inparticular Geoffrey Rush stands out as Barbossa, the captain of the zombie

pirates. Rush seems to relish his role as a scurvy ne'er-do-well and gives it justthe right gusto. He really helps solidify the film.

Sadly, Knightley's Elizabeth is so out-of-period and so overdone that she

gets irksome about halfway through the film and grows more irritating as themovie progresses. I had an inkling she would be trouble with the 'corset' line in

8/6/2019 Pirates Caribbean Black Pearl review

2/2

the trailer, and she is. Not that I ever mind a strong female character, butElizabeth comes off as annoying rather than self-empowered, and it's just

silly when she displays a more thorough knowledge of naval tactics than the bandof pirates she is sailing with.

Luckily for us she can't ruin the film - not even Cameron Diaz could do that

in this case - thanks to Johnny Depp, who plays Jack Sparrow so funny and sooff-kilter that he's immediately and immeasurably likable. Part smart-ass,part buffoon, part-hero and all-around knave, Sparrow knows more than anyone else

but is clever enough to keep them all (and us) in suspense for most of the

film as he skillfully treads the line between heroism and opportunism andcreatively manages to choose both and neither at the same time. He gets a lot of the

early laughs, and you instinctively root for him throughout the entire film.Sparrow's deft one liners (Turner: "I'd beat you in a fair fight." Sparrow: "Hardly an

incentive for me to fight fairly then, is it?") keep the filmmoving along, and Depp's deft portrayal of the slightly daffy pirate is by far the

best thing about the film.

Pirates runs a shade too long, with one too many double-crosses and

plot-twists in the end. It's a fun film and certainly worth going to see for Depp (andmany other reasons), but it could have been stronger had they nipped andtucked a little bit here and there. The ending is also a bit silly, but we have to

leave ourselves open for a sequel (the New Hollywood Mandate), don't we?Nonetheless, Pirates is mostly good fun, very humorous in spots, and surprisingly

historically authentic in its setting. This is one of the stronger movies ofthe season despite a few flaws and is, thankfully, finally, a good modern pirate

movie. Well worth the dubloons you'd invest to see it.

July 13, 2003