Thursday, March 9, 2017

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Curse Of The Black Pearl

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Runtime: 143 minutes

Directed by: Gore Verbinski

Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, Jack Davenport

From: Walt Disney

It was about time I saw one of these movies so I could review them here; the only review until now was for the mediocre 4th film. While all the sequels to this original were mediocre at best, at least this is still cool. I talk about it below: 

It's been almost 10 years since I had seen any of the first three Pirates movies; the first one is cool but the second and fourth are meh and the third one... atrocious; wait until I review that one. I don't even know if I'll see the new one on the big screen; nothing about it I have seen so far makes me give even a sliver of a damn about it.

I imagine everyone by now is familiar with the plot, revolving around undead pirates who wish to find one last gold piece so they can become human again, so I won't dwell on that. I will mention that Elizabeth Swann was a stronger woman character (not just a damsel in distress) than I remembered, which seems somewhat appropriate considering I watched this yesterday, which was International Women's Day. Personally, I understand why Will Turner would steal a ship to rescue her... I would steal a lot of things to try and rescue Keira Knightley, personally.

The movie is a fun adventure in scenic locations with a cast that does a nice job, but naturally it is Captain Jack Sparrow and his eccentric manner which is the most memorable aspect of the film. I imagine that even today there are plenty of people who swoon over the character, although probably not as many as in the past, due to those revelations that he may possibly not be a great human being. The character is still a blast, a version of Keith Richards from a few centuries ago. The contributions of Geoffrey Rush in particular were appreciated, but it was Captain Jack who will forever be unforgettable.

Unfortunately, aside from various story nitpicks, there are a few too many goofy moments and in what I did not know at the time was a harbinger of things to come, there was a plot twist or two too many and things start to become overly convoluted... those two things ruined the second and especially the third movie, and it started here. But, it doesn't really ruin the movie. I can still say it's a rollickin' good time, with the expected moments that are in the Pirates theme park ride at all the Disney parks, and a memorable score from Klaus Badelt. If only the other movies in the franchise could have been as fun as this was...

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