Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl

Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley

Based on the ever popular ride of the same name at DisneyWorld, Pirates of the Caribbean is a wild adventure filled with familiar moments. As Captain Jack Sparrow, Johnny Depp swaggers and swishes his way into and out of captivity several times, while his loyalties are never quite clear. This is no comfort to Will Turner, a swordsmith apprentice, and the lovely Elizabeth Swann, whose obsession with pirates comes in handy a number of times. The three of them have to trust each other to survive their encounter with Captain Barbosa and his crew ~ but will Captain Jack prove himself an ally, or will his schemes leave Will and Elizabeth to walk the plank?

Pirates of the Caribbean is one of those fantastic summer blockbusters. I saw it on my birthday when it came out, so I have a bit of an emotional attachment to the movie.

I love how the movie does have some reminiscence of the old ride. Of course, I would have normally hated that. You just can't base a movie off of any old thing lying around. But in this case, the movie was based on a ride that was created with genius imagination and attention to detail. It worked out wonderfully. The question is, while there be enough leftover material to make an enjoyable sequel, but that's another review entirely. Back to Pirates 1...

Keira Knightley is pretty. The other guys did a good job too.

The movie is a little swishy on the plot, and the characters seem very fickle. The black woman pirate is ready to kill Jack Sparrow because he owes her a ship, and in the end, she willingly hands command over the Black Pearl back to him. Ridiculous.

Still, it's a summer blockbuster. If you expect too much sophistication from a movie released in the months of May, June, July, or August, you'll always be disappointed. So, just sit back, suspend your disbelief, and let the refreshing spray of the sea and the foul breath of an undead pirate whisk you away on a fun, Disney ride.

When I first saw a preview for this movie, I thought it was going to be an absolute joke. All we saw was the skeletal foot stomping through sand, and I wasn't impressed. Actually, the cursed sailors are still the weakest point of the film, but I have to admit that I was dead wrong where the rest of the movie was concerned. I love to admit I'm wrong when there's such a fun movie to make me do it!

This was one of those movies that true movie lovers live for. (Not for movie-makers, because as a group, they're pretty jaded.) But for people who just love movies for the action, the adventure, and for the sheer escape of it all, this is like the mothership.

This could have been Orlando Bloom's movie had it not been for his competition with a certain actor fifteen years his senior. It's been said a thousand times, but bears repeating that Johnny Depp ROCKS. He's at his best in this role ~ perhaps because he seems to embody it so completely and with ease. Geoffrey Rush is also a joy, chomping scenery every minute he's on the screen.

The script was fun, the actors divine, the direction fantastic, and the editing a blast. One final question: When does the sequel come out? (Oh! That's right! 7/7/06!)