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Back Shelf Beauties
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Pirates of the
Caribbean: All year long, I have been waiting for this movie. How in the world was Disney going to make a cool movie out of one of their oldest theme park attractions? Pirates of the Caribbean seemed to have more camp value than thrill value, and director Gore Verbinski (he of the stinkers The Mexican and The Ring) inspired nothing but giggles. All of that said, I owe an apology to everyone involved. Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the best movies of the summer. Keira Knightley (also known as the woman who makes me go WOW WOW WOW WOW) stars as Elizabeth Swann - the daughter of a well-to-do British Governor (Jonathan Pryce) who is fascinated with pirates, in spite of her father's objections. One day, a group of horrible, villainous pirates led by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) kidnap her. Two men, the wacky pirate Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), set off to save her, but can they handle what they are about to find? Can Will save the woman he secretly loves? Can Sparrow be trusted? What is the true story behind Captain Barbossa and his mysterious crew? Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl will go down in history as the first PG-13 movie to carry the Disney banner. While Disney has other companies, like Miramax, which have made much racier films, the behemoth has never allowed it's historic name to be the studio of record for such an adult film. While many might fear that Disney would make a light version of a PG-13 film, Verbinski deftly mixes humor, action, adventure, love and amazing special effects to make a very cool movie that is scary and entertaining. It's one of those movies that puts it all together. Pirates of the Caribbean has a great script, good acting and more. Verbinski, as well as writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, deserve a great deal of credit for giving the movie credibility. Starting with stealing the famous ride's pirate song and using it in an eerie, mood setting opening scene, it's clear that this film is not for kids and will not be held hostage by reverence for Disney icons. Verbinski and crew are going to make a movie, not promote a theme park ride. Elliott and Rossio create a wonderful story full of texture and strong development of each character. Sparrow, Barbossa, Turner, Swann and more are given fascinating backgrounds that fully explain their motivations and actions. Characters are given juicy dialogue, appropriately placed humor and good action scenes. Some of the people who joined me at the film's screening didn't like the humor, and thought it was overdone, but I thought it added an aspect of whimsy and comic relief to a dark, brooding story. Elliott and Rossio avoid letting the movie get silly. Depp easily steals the show, but Rush shows his ability to keep up and balance the lead actor's humorous take on the role. Depp makes Sparrow a nutty character, an idiot savant at times, who always seems to be scheming and working his own angles. Meanwhile, Rush makes a formidable villain who deliciously wraps himself around the dialogue to instill fear. Without giving too much away, we learn that Barbossa and his crew long for something that we take for granted, which is wonderfully summed up by Rush in Barbossa's big speech. Knightley and Bloom show a capable ability to act along with these two screen giants, but Depp and Rush are the highlight of the movie. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl is the surprise of the summer for me. Leave the kids at home and get yourself to the Cineplex this weekend. A little long with one too many twists, but a very good movie. Grade: A- Copyright 2003 - WaffleMovies.com
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