Review - Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

           Hey guys, Chuck here, and this week, to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the series, I'll be taking a look as Disney's iconic film franchise Pirates of the Caribbean. Based on the Disney Parks ride of the same name, this series was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, who is most notable as producer of such films as Top Gun, Days of Thunder, Con Air, and Armageddon. Surprisingly, however, the series almost didn't happen, as the CEO of Disney at the time, Michael Eisner, was not in favor of a period piece movie about pirates, given the critical and box office failure of Cutthroat Island years prior. However, Eisner eventually relented and allowed the film to be made, almost  pulling the plug after another Disney film based on a Disney Parks attraction, The Country Bears, failed with critics and at the box office. However, the film was still able to get finished, thus where we are today. 

        So, the movie opens with Weatherby Swann, along with his daughter Elizabeth, traveling from England to Port Royal in the Caribbean, when Elizabeth spots a boy floating in the ocean. The crew rescues the boy, who is the only survivor of a ship besieged by pirates. The boy introduces himself as Will Turner, and he is taken below deck, but not before Elizabeth takes a medallion from around his neck. Years later, and Elizabeth is now grown, and her father is officially the Governor of Port Royal. Will, also grown now, is a blacksmith's apprentice, and he delivers a sword to the Governor, as it is made for a Naval officer named James Norrington, who is soon to be promoted to Commodore. 

         It's here where we meet a pirate named Captain Jack Sparrow, who arrives in Port Royal to commandeer a ship to sail to Tortuga and pick up a pirate crew. Why? Who knows. However, he is stopped by Murtogg and Mullory, who are guarding a Naval ship called the Interceptor. At the ceremony, Norrington proposes to Elizabeth, who faints from the tightness of the corset she was wearing, and she falls into the water below. Jack dives in and saves her, cutting open the corset so she can breath. Norrington and the Governor arrive, and Jack is sentenced to be hanged, with his personal items confiscated. These include a compass that doesn't point North, a cutlass, and a pistol with one shot. Jack, however, requests the return of his personal items, pulls a miraculous escape, and heads to the blacksmith's shop, where he unbinds himself with help of a donkey pulling a mechanism in the shop. Will returns, and he and Jack engage in a swordfight, which ends with Jack being knocked out by Mr. Brown the blacksmith. Norrington arrests Jack once more, and takes him to the cells at the fort. 

         That night, Port Royal is attacked by pirates. Specifically, the crew of the Black Pearl. Elizabeth is captured, having invoked parley, and she is taken with the medallion she recovered from Will years before. On the Pearl, she meets Captain Hector Barbossa, who agrees to leave Port Royal behind in exchange for the medallion, but takes Elizabeth anyway. The next morning, Will pleads with Norrington and the Governor to make every effort to go after the Pearl, but he is turned away. Taking desperate measures, he decides to seek Jack, break him out of his cell, and commandeer a ship. Initially, they take the Dauntless, but sneak aboard the Interceptor and make their way. However, the Dauntless was sabotaged, making it impossible for Norrington to pursue them. 

        Now, why did Jack agree to help Will in the first place? Apparently, Jack new Will's father, and was one of a few that knew him as William Turner, as opposed to his more noted name of Bootstrap Bill. Ultimately, this means that Will is the son of a pirate, but also a good man. So, Jack and Will arrive in Tortuga, where Jack ends up getting slapped by two women, Scarlett and Giselle. Jack then wakes up a friend of his, Joshamee Gibbs, who sets up a crew for Jack to make a run for the Black Pearl, opting to use Will as leverage with Barbossa. 

        Back on the Pearl, Barbossa reveals to Elizabeth the truth about the medallion. It is, in fact, cursed Aztec Gold. One piece of a set of eight-hundred-eighty-two delivered in a stone chest to Hernan Cortes, and the chest is located on Isla de Muerta. Barbossa and his crew found the chest and took the gold, trading it off for food, drink, and pleasurable company. Unfortunately, the curse of the gold ruined them, forcing them to reclaim every piece to break the curse. What curse? Appearing skeletal in the moonlight, the crew of the Pearl is undead, unable to eat, drink, die, or feel anything. As for why Jack is after the Pearl? According to Gibbs, Jack was the original Captain of the Black Pearl, but was mutinied by Barbossa and the crew, leaving him on an island with a pistol. The same pistol I mentioned earlier among his personal items. Jack miraculously escaped, allegedly making a raft of sea turtles and his own back hair, and plans to use the one shot on Barbossa. 

       Unfortunately, when Barbossa attempts to use Elizabeth's blood to break the curse, it doesn't work. Will saves Elizabeth, but Jack is caught. The Pearl goes after the Interceptor, and Will and Elizabeth realize it was Will's blood that was needed to break the curse. After a battle between the Pearl and the Interceptor ends with the destruction of the latter, Will negotiates the release of Elizabeth in exchange for himself. Elizabeth and Jack are left on the same island Jack was left on before, and Jack reveals the truth of his so-called miraculous escape. There were no sea turtles, he simply sat around drinking rum until the rumrunners returned to the island, which was their cache, and he bartered passage with them. After an afternoon and night drinking rum, Elizabeth sets all of the remaining rum ablaze to create a signal for the Dauntless to spot, thus bringing rescue. 

        Jack is able to make a deal with Norrington, and the Dauntless goes to the Isla de Muerta, where the Pearl is. A battle ensues with the crew of the Pearl against the Royal Navy, Jack's crew taking the Pearl, and Jack and Barbossa have their fight in the treasure cave. Will breaks the curse, Barbossa is shot and killed, and Barbossa's crew surrenders. Some time later, back in Port Royal, Jack is about to be hanged, but he's saved by Will. The two fend off Norrington and his men, and both Will and Elizabeth stand up for Jack. Jack gets away, and his crew picks him up. Jack, now back in command of the Black Pearl, heads off into the horizon, Will and Elizabeth officially become a couple, and Norrington decides to let Jack have a day's head start before pursuing him. 

       Okay, so this movie was a ton of fun, and it showed that good story, good writing, and good characters are what make a movie succeed, and the genre really doesn't make a difference. Honestly, writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio did an excellent job writing this movie, and director Gore Verbinski made a truly memorable flick. 

        The main cast of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, and Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann were all fantastic. Geoffrey Rush was easily an iconic villain as Barbossa, and I also enjoyed both Jack Davenport as Norrington and Jonathan Pryce as Governor Swann. Other members of the cast that stood out include Lee Arenberg and Mackenzie Crook as Pintel and Ragetti, Kevin R. McNally as Gibbs, Martin Klebba as Marty, and Zoe Saldana as Anamaria. Now, as much as I love a lot of the other performances, with my favorites being those of Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa and Orlando Bloom as Will, obviously the main draw for many fans of the series was Johnny Depp's genuine over-the-top mannerisms and silly antics. Depp, who took inspiration from rock musician Keith Richards, was a lot of fun to be sure, and this is easily his most iconic performance outside of his work with director Tim Burton.

         The visual effects. Oh, wow. The crew at Industrial Light & Magic really know how to outdo themselves, as I was blown away by the visual effects used to make the crew of the Pearl appear skeletal. Also, the costume designs by Penny Rose and the swords made by Tony Swatton were absolutely fantastic and really helped to sell the era the movie was set in. Not to mention the set design, as well as the overall look of the ships that portrayed the likes of the Dauntless, the Interceptor, and the Black Pearl. Every detail went into making this movie look incredible, and immerse viewers into the world of Pirates of the Caribbean. And, O really gotta give credit to the swordfight choreography done for the movie. Real top notch. I also thoroughly enjoyed the music score by Klaus Badelt, especially the franchise's iconic theme "He's a Pirate," which has been used as the closing credits track for every film in the series. And, of course, the main song from the Disney Parks ride, "Yo Ho! (A Pirate's Life for Me)" is featured a few times in this movie: once at the opening, sung by a young Elizabeth, once near the middle, sung by both Elizabeth and Jack, and once at the end, sung by Jack. Prior to the movies, this song is what most thought of when they heard the name Pirates of the Caribbean, thanks to the ride. 

         One thing to remember is that the film is historical fantasy. In other words, many characters and individuals may have been inspired by history, but are predominantly fictional. But, regardless of that, I absolutely love this movie, and the characters in it. I'm giving Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl a rating of 5/5. Twenty years after it's release, it's still absolutely fantastic.

        Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys tomorrow with my review of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.