Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is bloody brilliant!
West Life News (7/16/03)
Review by: Terri Clark
In 1967, Disneyland visitors were astonished by the realistic
audio-animatronic
wonders they discovered when they boarded a twenty-two-passenger boat that
sailed through a misty grotto before relating the story of the Pirates of the
Caribbean. Thirty-six years later, the still popular attraction has inspired
a
spooktacular movie that pays tribute to the beloved flume ride.
"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" opens with young
Elizabeth Swann singing a familiar theme song - "Yo Ho, Yo Ho. A Pirate's Life
For Me." The Governor's daughter is fascinated with the scourge of the sea.
When her father rescues Will Turner, a boy floating amidst the rubble of a
ship
attacked by pirates, she fears he might actually be one of the brigands
because
of a gold medallion he's found wearing around his neck. To protect him,
Elizabeth takes the necklace and hides it. Several years later that trinket
comes to haunt her. Literally.
Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) is kidnapped and brought aboard the famed Black
Pearl, which gives new meaning to the term ghost ship. It seems Captain
Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and his cutthroat crew has stolen a cursed treasure.
They might be rich in Aztec gold, but they can't enjoy their good fortune. As
the living dead, these sailors are revealed to be skeletons in the moonlight.
A smitten Will (Orlando Bloom) wants to rescue his damsel in distress, but as
a
mere blacksmith he is ill prepared to deal with powerful pirates on his own.
He
aligns himself with the wily Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), a less than
legendary swashbuckler who has one goal, to take revenge against Barbossa and
reclaim his ship, The Black Pearl.
If you're skeptical of a movie based on a Disney theme ride, let me allay your
fears. While the film does pay homage to the ride by replicating memorable
scenes from the attraction, it is an exciting adventure all its own. Replete
with the expected piratical trademarks-swords, plank walking, cannons, a
sidekick parrot, the Jolly Roger and rum - this latest blockbuster from Jerry
Bruckheimer still manages to be fresh fun.
You might think the most astonishing thing about this paranormal pirate film
is
the skeletal special effects - which are extraordinary - but you'd be wrong.
The blood and bone of this action escapade is Johnny Depp. He's a riot as a
pirate. The beaded beard, kohl lined eyes and gold-capped teeth effectively
transform his physical appearance, but it's the quirky, comedic character he's
created that is the film's real treasure. Swarthy and swaggering, he slurs his
way into the good graces of anyone who will give him what he wants. The rest
of
the cast is no slouch either. Rush is deliciously despicable and Bloom and
Knightley are strong and appealing in their heroic roles.
They say dead men tell no tales, but thanks to a fierce and funny script by
Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott, the writers of "Shrek," they do. Combine the
writers' sharp screenplay with a superb cast, superior special effects from
the
CGI wonders at ILM and the imaginative direction of Gore Verbinski who wowed
audiences with last year's stylishly scary "The Ring," and "Pirates of the
Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" is one bloody brilliant adventure
that
every mate should jump on board for.
MOVIE FACTS
Title: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Grade: A
Rating: PG-13 for action-adventure violence
Distributor: The Walt Disney Company
Director: Gore Verbinski
Screenplay: Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott
Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush
Time: 143 min
Genre: Action/Adventure/Comedy/Fantasy/ Horror
Terri Clark (
TerriClark4@aol.com) is a freelance movie critic. She writes
reviews for West Life News, Moviefone.com and the Apollo Guide.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/author-5505/
==========
X-RAMR-ID: 35499
X-Language: en
X-RT-ReviewID: 1187431
X-RT-TitleID: 1123873
X-RT-SourceID: 1446
X-RT-AuthorID: 5505
X-RT-RatingText: A
NOTE: This review was posted on the usenet
to the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup.
Mooviees.com accepts no responsibility for the contents of the review.
Unless stated otherwise, the copyright belongs to the author.
Movie Database
In Theaters
