Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean
If Pirates of the Caribbean were a bra, its size would be a Double F. That’s because it is fun and funny. Double F. Pirates of the Caribbean is the story of an evil group of pirates, led by the delightful Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who captures a governor’s daughter, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), in hopes of ending an ancient curse that haunts the men and their ship, the Black Pearl. Hot on the trail of Captain Barbossa and his band of evildoers is the town’s blacksmith/expert swordsman, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), and his slightly off-center and delightfully mischievous sidekick, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp).
Pirates of the Caribbean has everything you could expect from a pirate movie – one-eyed pirates, swords-a-clanking, planks-a-walking, cannons-a-blazing, trunks of gold, talking parrots and high adventures on the unforgiving sea. You name it, it has it. But the one thing, and the one thing only, that sets this movie apart from any other pirate movie that you may ever see in your lifetime is Johnny Depp. He is nothing short of outstanding in his interpretation of Captain Jack Sparrow. Apparently, Depp decided to throw a little bit of Keith Richards and a little bit of Pepe le Pew into his performance. Whatever the hell he did, it worked. Depp steals every single last scene he is in, from the moment he sails across the big screen until the final credits begin to roll. He steals the entire screen. He steals the entire movie. His chemistry with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) is pure magic. The two pirates play off each other and seem to be having a joyous time doing so. And we have a joyous time watching. Depp is head and shoulders above everyone in this film, perhaps in any film that has been released to this point this year. Geoffrey Rush is not too far behind.
How is the rest of the cast you may ask? Seeing Orlando Bloom perform as someone other than Legolas is interesting and he does quite a good job as the low-key Will Turner. Keira Knightley is stunningly beautiful, strong-willed and confident and also a joy to watch. The pirates and everyone else? Well, they’re all great pirates and everything else.
As for the story, it is solid, although not airtight. The curse of the Black Pearl was believable, if that is possible. The love story in the movie, I didn’t really fall for, although at this stage in my life I ain’t falling for any love story that doesn’t involve someone flying to Canada from Ireland. (Yes, honey, you are hotter than Keira Knightly.) I just didn’t feel the chemistry between the two parties involved. I also thought the ending of the movie was too neat and tidy. It was almost too Disney. I would have preferred to have seen a little twist here and a little turn there to end this one off.
Despite its very few shortcomings, Pirates of the Caribbean is much like the theme-park ride that inspired the movie – pure fun from beginning to end. Depp’s Oscar-worthy performance is the must-see event of the summer. He is already taking about a sequel and the thought of seeing Captain Jack Sparrow return to the big screen makes me shiver me timbers! (8.5 out of 10)
Comments
Tell me what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
Follow Us
Support Us
Click here to buy posters!
