By: debbie lynn elias
Ahoy mateys! Shiver me timbers, I think we have a winner here! In it’s second attempt to take a popular theme ride/entertainment park feature to the big screen (we won’t even discuss the first effort – it’s too embarrassing and abysmal), Disney finds a buried treasure with “Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl.” Based on its world famous ride by the same name (not to mention the infamous lines one must wait in to ride it), “Pirates” is an effectively fanciful mix of swashbuckling, the high seas, buried treasure, walking the plank, a modicum of historical lore, skulls and skeletons, mystery, intrigue, gunpowder, tall masts, a little romance and a lot of camp (oh, and let’s not forget, Johnny Depp with actual gold veneers on his teeth) that simply and purely entertains you for some 134 odd minutes.
© 2003 – Disney Enterprises Inc. and Jerry Bruckheimer Inc.
Directed by Gore Verbinski, who exhibits a much lighter touch and tone since his last film foray, “The Ring,” “Pirates” is the tale of Captain Jack Sparrow and his somewhat nefarious adventures on the high seas. Years ago, one Captain Barbossa led a mutiny aboard Sparrow’s pirate ship, the Black Pearl, leaving Jack and crew stranded on a deserted island. But as fate would have it, Barbossa then met up with a nasty little curse that turned both he and his crew into the Undead, looking like somewhat normal humans (albeit scurvy ridden, lice infested, sunken cheeked blaggards) in the daylight but in the nighttime under the light of the moon, oooooohhhhhh…..skeletons. Aye, but there’s a twist in the tale. Seems that Barbossa’s curse comes from stealing – and spending – some Aztec gold that was aboard the Pearl. The only way to remove the curse is to recover each and every individual gold piece and then spill some pirate blood on it. Do that and get redeemed and hopefully, the curse is lifted and you live. Of course, it could go the other way, too. Or could it? (Watch the movie and see!)
Enter young Will Turner, a lowly commoner in love with the governor’s daughter Elizabeth Swann who, naturally, is engaged to a high ranking military official in her father’s good graces. And it looks like Elizabeth is the owner of that last piece of Aztec gold sought by Barbossa (lucky girl). Needless to say, Elizabeth gets kidnapped and Will jumps in to save her. But he’ll need a little bit of help and who better than Jack Sparrow, our abandoned and very very miffed ex-captain of the Pearl who wants nothing better than to get back his beloved Pearl and rid us of Barbossa once and for all. You know, revenge and all that good stuff. Sparrow, who actually did make his way off the deserted island, then landed himself in jail where Turner now finds him. On springing Sparrow, the two head to the Pearl by way of commandeering a military naval vessel and the fun and adventure just soar from here on in.
Written by veterans Ted Elliott and, Terry Rossio, who gave us the fanciful “Treasure Planet” as well as “Shrek”, the script has more twists and turns than its namesake cavernous ride, with sub-plots and intrigue at every turn. Just wait until you see the underlying tale of the Aztec gold, how Elizabeth ended up with it, how and why our love story fits and even more interestingly, the relationships of the players which have been as buried and hidden as a pirate’s treasure. Thankfully, the writers see the fun and camp of this entire film genre and as opposed to the disastrous “Cutthroat Island” or even those wonderful escapades of Erroll Flynn or Douglas Fairbanks, maintain a feeling of lightness and mirth, never allowing the film or the actors to take things too seriously. And surprisingly, while the swashbuckling and action could have obliterated the backstory romance, the writers avoided that pitfall, integrating the two themes with a casual easy flow.
Key to “Pirates” are the principal players and none moreso than Johnny Depp. Known as much for his skill as an actor as for the often quirky roles into which he metamorphosizes, here, Depp is intentionally unpredictably comedically off-balance but so solidly grounded in his performance that he reels in the audience with each strut, preen, nuance, grin and slurred utterance, making you believe that he IS Jack Sparrow, black pirate with a heart of gold and deliciously wicked sense of fun and adventure. (And impeccable eyeliner!) Perfect counterpart is Geoffrey Rush who attacks his role as Barbossa with such a vengeance that you expect him to jump of the screen, sword waving and skeleton glimmering in the shadow of the projector light. However, despite his excellence, even Rush can’t overshadow Depp who commands every scene with indefatigable presence and elan. Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, while eye candy for the teens, 20 and 30 something age groups and hot in the midst of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, noticeably expands his already exceptional talents and heroic persona, especially when going head to head swashbuckling with Depp as both have had prior experience in the sport. On the other hand, Keira Knightley, although adequate, is blisteringly lackluster as Elizabeth, seemingly restrained and “lost” at times in her performance, perhaps due to the period piece corset which pinched her waist to a mere 20 inches.
Despite a slightly extended story set-up, director Verbinski deftly steers this ship with seemingly effortless competency giving us an “E” ticket ride for the silver screen. From sets to costumes to special effects, there’s a touch of that special Disney magic in every aspect of this film. (Do I see a merchandising frenzy on the horizon?) Aye, “Pirates” is definitely a newfound treasure trove of gold for the Disney vaults.
Capt. Jack Sparrow: Johnny Depp
Capt. Barbossa: Geoffrey Rush
Will Turner: Orlando Bloom
Elizabeth Swann: Keira Knightley
The Governor: Jonathan Pryce
Walt Disney Pictures presents a film directed by Gore Verbinski. Written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio and Jay Wolpert. Running time: 134 minutes. Rated PG-13 (for violence).
