For me, the idea of a movie based on the famed Disneyland ride had danger written all over it. I've been to Disneyland hundreds of times and the Pirates of the Carribean attraction has always been one of my favorites. With the recent release of the bizarre Country Bears, I feared the worst. This is to say nothing of the dreaded Curse of the Bad Pirate Movie. There have been a few pirate films made in the past twenty years, and none have come remotely close to capturing the swashbuckling heroics on display in the movies of Errol Flynn.
Happily, The Curse of the Black Pearl has emerged as one of the most entertaining movies of the summer, helping me erase Roman Polanski's overbloated Pirates and Renny Harlin's dismal Cutthroat Island from my memory. Yes, Pirates of the Carribean gets it right where those pictures went horribly wrong.
In the rousing swashbuckler, Orlando Bloom plays a young, adventure seeking man who teams with pirate Johnny Depp to save the woman he's loved since childhood. It won't be easy, as the young lady has been kidnapped by a pack of vicious pirates led by a villainous Geoffrey Rush. And in a grand twist, there is a ghost story surrounding Rush and his crew.
Pirates of the Carribean is great fun, and while it does capture the spirit of the Disneyland ride (there's a great homage early on in the picture), it really works because of Johnny Depp who dazzles the audience with an original, zany, and all too brilliant turn as Jack Sparrow. This is comic genius from an actor who's never really gotten the recognition he deserves. Not only does he create a picture perfect pirate, but he nails the dialect and acts with every fiber of his body. It's been reported that this terrific performer drew inspiration from Keith Richards noting; "Pirates were the rock n' rollers of their time." With this performance I think Mr. Depp may have bagged himself an Oscar nomination, and while this may not appeal to the reclusive yet passionate actor, he's completely deserving. All this praise for Depp, is not to suggest that there aren't other great performances to mention here as well. Rush is outstanding as the villain, and plays his role with absolute glee. Orlando Bloom is fine but he is certainly upstaged by the lead pirates, as is Keira Knightley as the damsel in distress.
The Curse of the Black Pearl was directed with a keen eye by Gore Verbinski whose previous outing was the effective horror film The Ring. There is much attention paid to mood and atmosphere in his take on this pirate adventure, and even though some of the sword fights seem a tad excessive, Verbinski more than delivers. There are sweeping shots of ships at sea, brilliant special effects (most notably the sequences in which the pirates' true identities are revealed when their bodies are bathed in moonlight), massive sword duels and a light romantic touch.
If I have one complaint, it's that Curse of the Black Pearl is a little too long. Thankfully, Depp makes every extra inch of this picture worth watching. This is yet another amazing piece of work from an actor whose career has been about quality, rather than exorbitant paychecks.
Ultimately, this big, lavish Jerry Bruckheimer production is everything Bad Boys 2 isn't - fun! On a side note, attendees of Curse of the Black Pearl were treated to a sneak peak at yet another adaptation of a Disneyland ride, The Haunted Mansion. Surprisingly, the trailer suggests that they've captured the spirit of the attraction. My only fear is that star Eddie Murphy will be a huge distraction. We'll see this holiday season.
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