Where to watch Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
3 1/2 Stars
This swash-buckling tale follows the quest of Captain Jack Sparrow, a savvy pirate, and Will Turner, a resourceful blacksmith, as they search for Elizabeth Swann. Elizabeth, the daughter of the governor and the love of Will’s life, has been kidnapped by the feared Captain Barbossa. Little do they know, but the fierce and clever Barbossa has been cursed. He, along with his large crew, are under an ancient curse, doomed for eternity to neither live, nor die. That is, unless a blood sacrifice is made.
‘Pirates’ is a highly entertaining mix of humor and swashbuckling action. Defying the odds, uber-producer Jerry Brucheimer took on the project after years of failed attempts at converting the concept into a film, then entrusted director Gore Verbinski to craft a picture of immense beauty and astonishing technical wizardry. Yet all would be for nothing without the standout central performance by Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, the sexually ambiguous pirate. Depp’s comedic timing and unique look are assets that have rarely been exploited to the effect they are here. His shtick is so amusing that OSCAR voters graced him with a nomination for Best Actor that year.
A plot-heavy script from writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot has a lively amount of banter between the leads, though it’s tough to tell just how much Depp ad libed. An ongoing gag over Jack’s ‘Captain’ moniker is among the more amusing developments in the bloated screenplay. The film runs for 145 minutes, and it could lose 40 minutes without anyone noticing. Too many sword fights and ship-boardings start as thrilling but quickly become numbing. However, the film rights itself in time and delivers a beguiling epilogue action sequence that is choreographed and edited to near perfection.
Many viewers have seen the parallels between Sparrow and Keith Richards, but I see a lot of Depp’s impersonation of Hunter S. Thompson as well. Lightweight Orlando Bloom has the appropriate period look but is overmatched when onscreen with any of his costars. The film was intended as a stand-alone movie. However, after the monstrous box office gross, producers pushed out two subsequent installments (each time to lesser effect). Viewed on its own, ‘Black Pearl’ is a rousing family film that also passes as a comedy/action period adventure flick.
Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Written by: Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie
Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom