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Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl Customer Reviews (4 - 6 of 69 Reviews)

A Very Enjoyable Movie! FULL SKULL BABY!

The Pirates Of The Caribbean is a high-seas, swash-bucking action adventure epic that became 2003's biggest surprise hit. Unleashed in the summer the film was set to become a success, but it went way beyond that by grossing more than $300 million at the US Box Office alone, and spending month after month inside the Top 10. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer ("Pearl Harbor") and directed by Gore Verbinski ("The Ring"), "The Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl" is a film that will be adore by all generations.

The story revolves around Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) who's idyllic pirate lifestyle gets turned upside down when his enemy Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) steals his ship, the Black Pearl, and later attacks the town of Port Royal. Barbossa kidnaps the Governor's beautiful daughter (Kiera Knightley). In a desperate attempt to rescue both Elizabeth and the recapture the Black Pearl, her childhood friend and future lover Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) joins forces with Jack. The two set off on a suspense-filled adventure, but what they don't know is that a cursed treasure has doomed Barbossa and his crew to live forever as the undead.

Granted, the plot isn't very intricate. It's very lightweight which is to be expected because this is a Disney movie aimed at it's target audience: children. The film incorporates many different themes which makes it highly enjoyable and successful in delighting so many viewers. Action, mystery, humour, romance and the unforgettable characters all add to the film in making this a particular stand out film from the past year. The special effects in the movie are also worthy of high praise. They are superbly produced and you can tell that a lot of thought and effort has gone into them. The fight scenes are brilliantly choreographed, and the location in which the film was shot is also extremely scenic and picturesque.

Johnny Depp really does steal the show as Captain Jack Sparrow. His portrayal of Jack is both serious and light-hearted. It can be taken either way and he shines on both accounts. Orlando Bloom is good as the shy Will Turner. His love for Elizabeth is adorable in itself, if not for his photogenic screen appearance and rising celebrity following his role as Legolas in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy (2001-2003). Kiera Knightly works in superb contrast to the male leads in the film as the cheeky Elizabeth. Her upbeat nature and charismatic personality single-handedly supports a fraction of the film and keeps it going until the final scenes.

The Special Features on this DVD are extremely worthwhile. They include:

- Audio Commentaries
- Epic At Sea
- Diaries
- Fly On The Set
- Blooper Reel
- Pirates In The Park
- Below Deck
- 19 Deleted Scenes
- 'Moonlight Serenade' (Scene Progression)
- Image Gallery

OVERALL GRADE: 8/10

The Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl was one of 2003's most successful movies and received rave reviews from critics and the public alike. However, I do feel that people went a bit over the top with this movie. Something like this hadn't come along in quite a few years, so people were so quick to jump on the bandwagon by branding it the best film in years. In reality, it's not. Don't get me wrong, it is a very enjoyable film, but somewhat overrated. The success of this film sealed possible doubts about a sequel. With more than $300 million grossed from America's wallets, a sequel is inevitable. Hopefully it will be just as enjoyable as the first.

Pirates Treasure FULL SKULL BABY! empty skull, sniff.
Whenever I found myself on a family vacation at a Disney theme park, one of my favorite attractions, was always Pirates of the Caribbean. When I heard that mega producer Jerry Bruckheimer was going to make a film, based on the ride, I was more than a bit skeptical. It's hard enough sitting through some movies, based on TV shows, Comics, or books, let alone one born out of a ride. How would Brucheimer and director Gore Verbinski pull off the seemingly impossible. Things turned out better than I, or most folks for that matter, figured that they would.

Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp)loves living on the high seas as a pirate. His world is turned inside out, when his mortal enemy, Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) steals his ship, later using it to attack the town of Port Royal. During the onslaught, Barbossa decides to kidnap Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), the daughter of the town's Governor. Her childhood friend Will (Orlando Bloom) is determined to save her--he and and Jack team up--to reclaim both the ship and get the girl.

A big reason, that the film exceeded my expectations, was due to the inspired performance from Depp. Once again, he proves his versatility, and becomes the character. The role allows him to show off his rare comedic side and he really runs with it. The rest of the cast is up to the challange as well...but clearly having lots of fun in the process. Verbinski fills the screen with plenty of action and great effects, but at no time do these elements overtake this pirate tale. Everything falls into place very nicely. I was a bit surprised by the film's running time though, at 2 hours and 23 minutes, I thought some of the pacing could have been just a tad tighter--just a minor quibble if I may...

The folks at Disney and Bruckheimer must have known what they had in the film. The 2 disc DVD set is loaded with some fine extras, for both the technical film buff and the casual viewer. For me, the three audio commentary tracks, are the highlights of the the entire set. The commentary by Verbinski and Star Depp is the most interesting though. Depp seems relaxed and not as one demensional, as I've seen him in the past, doing interviews for his other work. For the second track, actors Keira Knightley And Jack Davenport, have the most fun. Davenport is very witty and keep things light. Recorded separtely and added in on this track are comments from Bruckheimer to balance it out. The final track brings together writers Stuart Beattie, Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio and Jay Wolpert (Wolpert adapted the 2002 version of The Count Of Monte Cristo also recommended) for a look at the writing process.

Disc two starts out with a lively 37 minute look behind the scenes called aptly enough "An Epic At Sea: The Making of "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl". I mentioned the film's running time before--so to my surprise there are no less than 19 deleted and alternate scenes that were wisely trimmed or cut altogether.5 addtitional featurettes explore filming and life behind the scences--"Moonlight Saranade" scene progression, "Fly on the Set" looks at some of the specific scences as they were being shot, "Diary of a Pirate" is a behind-the-scenes look with cast member Lee Arenberg (best known for playing a alien Ferengi on the Star Trek spinoffs The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine), a Producer's Diary with Bruckheimer as your guide, and the
"Diary of a Ship" Video Journal. Some of these work better than others, in terms of content, but are still worth a look. Next up there is the well researched primer "Below Deck" - An interactive and fun History Of Pirates. An 18 minute segment from January 1968, as part of the TV show "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color", where Walt himself gives us a tour of the ride that inspired the film. It is very cool to have something like this as part of the set. A very extensive still gallery and a 3 minute blooper reelthat works once but not beyond that are here too. Finally, there are some really cool DVD-ROM Features for your PC: "Moonlight Becomes Ye" is an Effects Studio that allows you to create some magic of your own,there's even more history on the ride, a Virtual Reality Viewer, Scriptscanner & Storyboard Viewing Modes.

Who knew that a film, based on a ride, could be this much fun and entertaining? Pirates...is recommended with **** and a half stars

wary of joining the bandwagon? FULL SKULL BABY!
Having been disappointed many times by big blockbuster movies that, er, don't really hit the spot, I anticipated PoTC to be another movie to enjoy a bit then forget. It was, after all, branded as a goody-goody Disney movie with a bunch of heartthrobs casted in it. Big deal. How much can an undead pirate ensemble hold our attention and keep us in our seats?

Well.

Directed by 'The Ring' man Verbinski, produced by big time Bruckheimer, scripted by the writers of Shrek, and casted with eccentrics like the long-lost Depp, PoTC was a project that called upon an unusual combination of dedicated adventurers and artists who unabashedly engineered the movie to the extreme, purely for the audience's enjoyment. I mean, Johnny Depp with real gold teeth and eyeliner, and Geoffrey Rush with a pesky monkey on his shoulder? Different, indeed. Not to mention those incredible supporting characters and outstanding set details that would keep your eyes glued on the screen.

And why was PoTC so great? Because the people behind the movie simply delivered their all, man. PoTC is romance, humor, adventure, suspense, and horror, all in one package, perfect for the cynical, the innocent, and those in between. I was surprised to like it, but I completely did.

(Oh. And, I'm not the only one who has been surprised--and impressed. PoTC garnered FIVE Oscar nominations today, including a Best Actor nomination for Depp's, shall we say, unforgettable savvy performance. Trust the Academy on this. )

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