Arrrgh!

Ahoy, mateys! This be yer newest buccaneer buccaneer here, digging up for ye a film review that has been long buried under the sands that I figured would be perfect for this here group.

And today, I bring to all of ye scalawags my review of “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl”.

Here be the summary of this here treasure *clears his throat*:

When Elizabeth Swann (played by Keira Knightley), who is also the daughter of Governor of Weatherby Swann (played by Jonathan Pryce), is kidnapped by pirates during an attack at her home, blacksmith Will Turner (played by Orlando Bloom) makes it his mission to find and rescue her. In doing so, he teams up with the eccentric-but-full-of-surprises Captain Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp).

Little does much of the world know, however, that the pirates, captained by Hector Barbossa (played by Geoffrey Rush), are more than meets the eye, and have kidnapped Elizabeth with intentions that are far from just kidnapping her. They are a cursed pirate crew with intentions to lift their curse.

If my knowledge is correct, this film is highly credited for giving new life to the pirate genre. Having seen this film many times, I can definitely see why.

The story, which was written by Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, and Jay Wolpert, screen written by Elliot and Rossio, and directed by Gore Verbinski, was amazing! I mean, sure, it can be a little all over the place, but everything ties together brilliantly, and the characters were able to wonderfully take the helm in driving it until the end credits came.

I think the definite reasons behind why the plot ties in so well is because of the common and understandable goals each character has. For instance, Barbossa wants to break the curse inflicted on him. Jack Sparrow wants to reclaim the Black Pearl as Captain and defeat Barbossa for causing a mutiny against him. And Elizabeth and Will want to protect each other from harm.

Additionally, the plot has some great messages about loyalty, and how important it is to look out for others. Its message about the dangers of greed was also nicely executed.

The comedy that the film had was extremely well-timed and fun. It has a certain Disney-esque to it all, which can be pretty reminiscent to Disney films such as Snow White and Peter Pan. As a matter of fact, I can’t even think of one gag that didn’t make me laugh. I’d say the best ones come from that of Jack Sparrow, Pintel (played by Lee Arenberg) and Ragetti (played by MacKenzie Crook), and Murtogg (played by Giles New) and Mullroy (played by Angus Barnett).

The acting, casting, characters, and character development were all pretty awesome as well.

Johnny Depp was without a doubt the best part of this movie. He and his character were able to literally steal the show and have all of the best moments and lines. In many ways, Jack Sparrow is vastly unpredictable too, because you never know which side he would take. His growing soft side towards Will and Elizabeth throughout the film is something I believe makes him all-the-more 3-dimensional. Perhaps even multi-dimensional.

Geoffrey Rush was really fun to see on the screen too. He portrayed Barbossa to where he’s not just a classic-type of villain, but also someone...very human. Among others, Barbossa and his crew desire to be alive, to feel and not be lifeless zombies. It’s what I believe helps them to click.

The character developments of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann were amazing as well, in that the two of them realize how much they want to be together. Will learns how to come to terms with his roots as a pirate; and Elizabeth grows strong enough to be far from a mere damsel in distress. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, I’d like to add, were perfect for their roles.

*Spoiler alert: Zoe Saldana, whom many will most likely recognize today as Gamora in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Nyota Uhura in the Star Trek reboot films, plays the role of Anamora, a female pirate that Jack had previously stolen a boat from.*

On the subject of the special effects, I would like to say that the pirates in their skeleton Forms was really impressive. They literally seemed so real! Along with that, whoever orchestrated the effects did an excellent job at making the skeleton forms settling and unsettling at the same time.

Finally, I’d like to say that the music for this film, orchestrated by Klaus Badelt and his team of fellow musicians, was ear-catchingly wonderful. I love how they were able to push the envelope with the music. In my opinion, the results of their work made it one of the best music scores since the early works of John Williams (such as Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Jaws). Plus, the music really captured the feel and spirit of the pirate film.

In conclusion, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl” is one of the best films I’ve had the pleasure of seeing! I think this movie is one that people everywhere will be having the time of their life with.

So, I rate “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl” a complete 5 out of 5 stars.

Fun fact:
1. in the scenes between Knightly and Rush. Kira who was a rookie actor had shorter lines than the movie veteran Geffory Rush.
2. Kira Knightly's boat\ trailer sank while in the Caribbean for filming.