On rare occasions there is a producer or director who is able to tap directly into the minds not of any particular demographic, but audiences as a whole and create something that is truly enjoyable for groups of all ages with every sort of pleasure. Who knew that 2003's crowd wanted to see a theme park ride's characters spring to life, or that such a pirate film could be so pleasurable to watch? Apparently Jerry Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski did for they made something that has become a cultural phenomenon. Bruckheimer is one of those people who makes other producers roll their eyes for his lack of interest at what he throws money to, but here he found something worth while. Laugh on, Mr. Producer.
There seems to be a child in all of us which fancies the notion of being a pirate. There is a sort of black romanticism about having boundless freedom and adventure, about following no rules except those of your captain who only gives them to best lead you to booze, women and all things silver and gold. Every man wants to be more than an everyman and the pirate is like the cowboy or the renegade--he sticks it to the man.
What Disney did fantastically in this film is tap into that idea while removing the cartoonishness of it all. The characters in this movie are not Captain Hook's and Long John Silver's; they are nasty, swashbuckling, lusty, ugly men who are, in fact, pretty awesome. Our main hero, however, is not a pirate (well...), but a blacksmith. Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) works on one of the thousands of islands in the Caribbean and is in love with Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightly), the governor's daughter. When a group of cutthroats descend on Port Royal, Will must team up with an outcast pirate to save his love.
Johnny Depp plays Capt. Jack Sparrow, in what will probably be known as his most iconic role. With nasty dreads, too much mascara and doing an impression of Keith Richards with sunstroke, he has invented one of the strangest, coolest characters ever to set sail on the high seas. Will and Jack adventure to Isle de Muerta in chase of the Black Pearl to recapture Elizabeth who has been stolen for very dark purposes.
Unbeknownst to them all the crew of the Black Pearl is plagued with a terrible Aztec curse, damning them to live as the undead. Captained by the fearsome, yet strangely poetic Barbossa (a fantastically cast Geoffrey Rush), the band of pirates seeks to appease the heathen gods with gold and blood.
This movie is fast paced, beautifully shot, and immensely fun. There is so much that could have gone wrong with it--which did happen in its successors--but for this one it doesn't take itself seriously and the entire cast seems to be enjoying themselves so much. Depp, as always, seems to create a world all to himself, stumbling and squinting with a physicality hilariously unique and an accent which sounds as though he has a mouth full of mushed bananas. Rush is also wonderful. He is the bad guy, but he's pitiable and almost likable, and he gives me chills the way he relishes the lines he hisses.
Unlike the unfortunate sequels the plot is engaging, full of surprises, but never more than the audience can handle. It is all done with purpose, but it's manageable, simply with the goal of making something enjoyable for the family. It shall endure. Like "Star Wars", "Jaws" or "Jurassic Park" this is one of those supreme blockbuster entertainments that will live on as a family classic. The effects, though good now, will age appallingly, but even so the zippy writing, colorful characters, terrific battle sequences and its roguish spirit guide it to distant and welcoming shores.
3.5/4
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