***Official "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN" Review Thread (1 Viewer)

[Scott Weinberg]

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl :star::star::star::star::star:

Never before have I been so thrilled about being so wrong.

"That’s why they play the games." - This is a hoary old chestnut that NFL fans inevitably mutter when some 2 and 10 squad is trouncing the Super Bowl Champs at halftime. Basically it means: you never know. One could extend this cliché over to movies as well: “That’s why we go see ‘em.” Because no matter how disposable a film may seem at the outset, one never knows what treasures may lie in the finished product. I’ll admit it: I was one who sneered at the prospect of a movie based on a Disneyland ride; I scoffed at the combination of Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer from the very beginning. But man oh man do I love being wrong; Pirates of the Caribbean is the best studio movie so far this year, it deserves a half-dozen Oscar nominations, and I can promise that it will rank among my favorite movies of 2003. All together now: Whooda thunk it?!?!?

Movie fans rely a lot on previous performances; the idea of a big-budget pirate flick based on a Disney attraction and produced by the king of Flash & Bang Cinema seemed an unwieldy combination at best. (And that’s me being kind.) It’s tough to blame the movie freaks for their early skepticism: there hasn’t been a good pirate movie in about 40 years, and the only other features based on Disney rides (The Country Bears and Mission to Mars) were pretty darn bad. Plus add Bruckheimer to the mix and you’d hear a lot of boo-hooing about “loud, garish action scenes” and “next-to-no depth whatsoever”.

Well if all that history is true, get ready to add a glorious new amendment to the books. Because Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is (against all odds) one of the most dizzyingly entertaining big-budget adventures of the past five years. I sit here incredulous as I type such things, but I can’t remember the last action/adventure epic that enthralled me so effortlessly. As I sat there watching the movie, I rattled off my mental checklist to see how much they got right:

The plot. Yes, it’s a whole lot of adventure flick hooey: unrequited love and devious buccaneers, stolen haunted treasures and undead armies, excitement, comedy, betrayals, high-seas adventure; it’s all here. But here’s the best part: It makes sense! What a simple joy it is to watch a movie and have the plot make sense. We know where one scene is supposed to lead us; plot threads actually TAKE us somewhere; the antics never seem rushed or forced or confused. Yes, it’s a whole lot of adventure flick hooey, but it’s logical and smart hooey. What a nice switch. Things start out with a standard "damsel gets kidnapped" hook and quickly boils over to include devious allies, insufferable soldiers, deserted islands, tons of treasures and (of course) three dozen scummy old pirates who turn into rotting skeletons when the moonlight hits them. It's even more fun than it sounds.

The look. Good gravy does this movie look gorgeous. From the massive old galleons to the cavernous pirate lairs to the expansive exterior sets, the movie is just stunning to look at. If one wanted to judge the movie solely on visual scope, art direction, costume design, etc., he would find virtually nothing to dislike here. The DVD will look great, but this is a movie that deserves to be seen on the big screen.

The tone. Fully playful and breezy but never ironic or overtly self-referential, the screenplay (courtesy of Shrek scribes Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio) is laden with moments scary, funny, thrilling and exciting. Much like everyone’s favorite adventure (Raiders of the Lost Ark) this film is clearly written with an obvious affection for the Pirate Movie genre. And by Pirate Movie I mean Captain Blood and Treasure Island, not Cutthroat Island and Pirates.

The score. Loud and joyously bombastic during the action scenes, light and atmospheric during the chatty bits, Klaus Badelt’s score is pitch-perfect in every way. I can’t remember the last time I left a movie itching to buy the score, but here’s one I’ll be purchasing soon.

The action. Any solid director can cull together a suitably kinetic action scene. What Gore Verbinski (The Ring) has done here is nothing short of exhilarating. While the foreground is appropriately laden with clanging swords and burly fists and one screeching monkey, the backdrop is overloaded with astoundingly cool galleons, crystal-clear waters, and various other impressively majestic sights. If you're doling out some well-earned praise, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski should be among the first to applaud.

The cast. Orlando Bloom (Lord of the Rings) sheds his elven ears and delivers an appropriately heroic presence while relative newcomer Keira Knightley (Bend It Like Beckham) proves as charming as she is lovely. Geoffrey Rush (Shine) is clearly having a whole lot of fun as the head villain, though he consistently keeps his performance just this side of high camp. He’s funny, but he’s also effectively nefarious. Another small touch that helps the film immeasurably: there are several colorful background characters, none of whom are played by an actor you’d classify as ‘familiar’. None of that “Hey look it’s Bob Hoskins as a pirate!” stuff. The supporting players are great across the board, and their anonymity helps sell the flick.

The Depp. Look, everyone already knows that Johnny Depp is one of Hollywood’s most unique and talented actors. The guy does do big-budget stuff, but even then he brings something quirky and untraditional to even the most familiar characters. (Check his work in Sleepy Hollow and/or From Hell and you’ll see what I mean - if you’re not already nodding your head in agreement with me.) Simply put: Depp is a man possessed. His performance as the egocentric Jack Sparrow is one of the most entertaining bits of acting of the past several years. Were Pirates a big stinkeroo (which, clearly, it is not) Depp’s performance would still be worthy of your nine bucks at the box office. In a perfect world, one in which popcorn movies were worthy of old-school respect, Depp would earn an Oscar nomination for his work here.

The sly bits. Since Pirates of the Caribbean is (loosely) based on the popular theme park ride, one could expect a few references to said attraction. That these additions are worked so effortlessly into the film (those unfamiliar with the ride will overlook them entirely) is yet another example of how much care went into making the film so much more than just ‘product: expensive yet inevitably profitable’. You can FEEL that Verbinski and Bruckheimer and their screenwriters are actively trying to make something worthwhile. Needless to say, they’ve accomplished something quite special.

There is a clear sense here that Pirates of the Caribbean is a whole lot more than “just another summertime popcorn-muncher” and damn if everyone involved doesn’t pull it off with flying colors. If there’s any justice in the dog-eat-dog summer movie season, this flick will sprout some enormous legs and surprise everyone like it so completely surprised me. On the downside I have to admit I was entirely wrong about this movie; on the upside, I now have another great adventure flick to add to my collection.

Gloriously entertaining proof positive that Big-Budget Extravaganza and Quality Filmmaking need not be mutually exclusive, Pirates of the Caribbean really does offer something for everyone. You may not love it as much as I clearly did, but I'd be willing to bet the flick shows you a damn good time.

 

[Jason Whyte]

Due to violent threatening and blackmailing brought my way, I have no choice but to happily make this the Official Review Thread for "Pirates of the Caribbean". Please post all reviews, links to outside reviews, etc in this thread ONLY. Failure to do so may result in your post being deleted, and we can't have that, now can we, mates?

If you wish to discuss any elements of this film, please point such dialogue to the Official Discussion Thread.

Thanks everyone,

Jason Whyte
Home Theater Forum

 

[Tino]

I wish I was as wowed as Scott was by Pirates Of The Carribean, but unfortunately I wasn't.:frowning:

It was entertaining to be sure, but I just didn't think it was all that. I thought that the action scenes, while exciting, were pretty generic. Nothing new or fresh. Standard adventure filmmaking.

The production values were excellent, the CGI great, the performances, especially Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush, were good, but I found myself not that interested in all that was going on. The story was O.K but it was a half hour too long and dragged in a few spots.

It's a Pirate movie and has everything that you would want in a Pirate movie, but it kept reminding me of Cuthroat Island (guilty pleasure), for better or worse. I will still recommend it to friends because in the end, it is a fun film, just not a great one.

:star::star::star:

 

[Dalton]

I think Scott covered just about everything i would have commented on so i'll be short and sweet. Loved it!

:star: :star: :star: :star: 1/2 out of :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

P.S.
Loved the score and will probably buy the soundtrack!

 

[Bill J]

My expectations weren't very high to begin with, but Pirates of the Caribbean was one of the most disappointing films I have seen all year. Although the film earned a rare PG-13 rating for Disney, it was excessively juvenile at times. I was expecting the film to be darker and gloomier, especially after seeing Gore Verbinski's previous film The Ring, which I enjoyed immensely.

Pirates of the Caribbean's flaws can all be traced back to its extremely weak storyline. The film centers around a group of pirates seeking an end to a curse that turned them into the undead. I was a little confused about why they would want to end such a thing since they were incapable of dying and seemed to enjoy themselves by getting drunk and starting fights. In addition the film contains the typical love story in which a young woman is reluctant to marry the man her father has chosen, but eventually meets her true love during extraordinary circumstances. I feel like I have seen that a million times already. It also didn't help that the film was 45-60 minutes longer than it had to be. The fight sequences, although well done, were redundant and the film dragged at times.

On a more positive note, Johnny Depp was amazing and he alone prevented Pirates of the Caribbean from hitting rock-bottom.

:star: (out of four)

 

[Kristian]

:star: :star: :star:½ out of :star: :star: :star: :star:

Pure swashbuckling fun. And I'll say no more, because Scott covered it all.

 

[Bruce Patterson]

Scott hit the nail on the head - I wasn't expecting much, but my wife who bleeds mouse-ears dragged me to it.

Extremely entertaining, right from the start it hooked me. Very captivating, its a cross between The Mummy and Cutthroat Island, except better than both. My prediction is that this will blow T3 away, and be one of the biggest of the year (behind Nemo, of course), if only from repeat viewing. We'll go again this weekend.

Loved the Haunted Mansion preview - it looks to be a Triple Crown year for the Mouse company.

 

[David_SG]

Great beginning, exciting ending, but the middle was a little stale (save for everytime Depp was on-screen). I guess my biggest complaint is that the ship-to-ship action wasn't as compelling as I would have liked, especially after just reading Master and Commander, but I guess it fit the overall fun tone of the movie.

I actually thought the score sounded a bit too much like Gladiator, but it served the movie nevertheless. I can't say enough about Depp's performance - definitely one of the coolest characters I've seen in a movie in a long time.

:star: :star: :star: out of :star: :star: :star: :star:

 

[Seth Paxton]

Pirates of the Carribean
8.5 of 10
It's summer, it's time for fun, and Pirates delivers that. The best thing about the film is the script. It keeps setup scenes mixed with bits of fun early on and never strays too far away from having fun with its main, lovable characters (Bloom and Depp). It has a solid structure underneath it, nothing groundbreaking of course, but quite reasonable for action/adventure.

It keeps the light comedy coming, throws in some very cute ride references (I'm sure I missed some), and gives you some good action moments in between. What the film doesn't do is strive to be better than anything you've seen before and I think by keeping a focus on more attainable goals the filmmakers were able to make an ALMOST perfect popcorn film, without asking us to check the brain.

Quips, action, a little scary edge to the villains, some romance...a good mixture. But then, toward the end especially, Verbanski begins to linger too long with scenes and let's the plot drag more than the story would demand. You find yourself waiting for some of those latter moments to finish playing out before the film can move on and that bogs it down. This is especially a problem because it comes at the end instead of the beginning, and doubled as a problem because the film is so long.

IMO the film could have kept every scene in and still lost at least 10 minutes with trimming from throughout the film, just to keep the light action from becoming heavy by letting it hang around too long.

But again, Depp is able to steal the show in some part because of his talent, but at least as much because of the way the script is structured. It does a fine job of setting up good moments for him to play up. It also gives him a wonderfully memorable entrance, one of the best gags of the film.


Had they kept the pace of the film up, especially in act 3, I think they would have had a really impressive film on their hands. As it is it was still one of the most fun films I've seen this year (still prefer X2 for action/adventure).


And shows were sold out all night. Expect this film to earn quite well for the next month.

 

[FredK]

:star: :star: :star:

A fun movie that looked great with great lead performances all the way around.

This movie will make loads, widest demographic I've seen since Spidey. Managed to get kiddies, teens, and all sorts of adults laughing and enjoying the same movie.

The score took me out of the movie at least 10 times. Drowned out the sound of the action and was "when there's fighting, play Gladiator."

Lots of hits & misses on the wit and one liners, too many... just shorten the jokes and lengthen the setups/transitions to the story and action.

But still, it's fun!

edit: I can't believe it's PG-13! Must be the skeletons that are already seen in the trailer. If the little ones can handle the commercials they can handle the movie, I paid for my 7 year old nephew to go for his birthday.

 

[Bryan Tuck]

I really enjoyed this movie. It reminded me of how much fun a summer action movie can be when the effort is made to make it genuinely entertaining. There's more to fun than big explosions, slow-mo martial arts fights, and dumb one-liners.

Of course, there are a few explosions here, but the movie doesn't depend on them for all its effectiveness. And the swordfights are very well choreographed (I enjoy martial arts, too, but it's nice to see just some good-old fashioned fencing). Also, the dialogue, while not the most clever in the world, is not as cringe-inducing as most summer movies' bag of quips. I can just imagine studios having a box on the lot labeled: "One-liners/Catchphrases. Take One...or Two...or Three..." Thankfully, Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio took the time to write some real dialogue for Pirates.

The performances are also impressive. Johnny Depp is quite hilarious, and Geoffrey Rush seems to be having a lot of fun, too. The best part about their performances is that unlike some lesser actors, they don't confuse having a good time with phoning in a performance. They're able to take it serious enough to be convincing and not break character, but they're also able to wink at the audience from time to time without making it too obvious. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are also solid, again, remaining in character and not trying to grandstand any.

The FX are fun, as well, and for the most part, very well done. One of the things I maintain whenever people start complaining about CGI is that when they're done properly, digital FX can work very well. There's definitely a Harryhausen feel to the pirates (albeit slightly more high-tech), and that works to film's advantage as well.

The music: I like Klaus Badelt, but I really would have liked to have heard what Alan Silvestri would have done for this. Also, Badelt's score was obviously a rush job, and bearing that in mind, it's not bad. However, because Badelt is, I think, one of the more talented Media Ventures composers, I was expecting something a little more diverse from him. Instead, it sounds very much like other scores by Zimmer proteges: energetic, effective, and even exciting at times. It just could have been better.

The only major problem I had with the movie was the rather ridiculously overlong running time of 143 minutes. I usually defend longer films for being long, but this one really could have used a few trims.

Other than that, though I really liked the film a lot, and I'd like to see more summer popcorn flicks like it, rather than the expensive messes we often get. B+

 

[Todd Terwilliger]

:star: :star: :star: :star: / :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

This film reminded me why I love adventure films. Unfortunately, the good ones are few and far between but I count this as a very good one indeed.

While Orlando Bloom's Will Turner character is somewhat bland, the film makes up with this by far with the Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow and the cursed Captain Barbosa.

I thought the FX were used to good effect here, especially concerning the pirates of the Black Pearl. The transitions used during the film's climax between dead and living were incredible.

While the film is far from perfect, I think it succeeds in creating a fun, action adventure. Something I've been sorely missing.

 

[Travis_W]

I went in there expecting a fun time but all I got in return was overhype and one of the most bloated stories of the year. I mean this seemed a lot more than 2 hours long. Don't start flaming me for not liking long movies because all my favorite films are well over 2 hours. This just didn't work for me. However the sword fights, effects, and the Depp were alright.

:star: :star:

 

[ThomasC]

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is the best summer movie since Jurassic Park. This ranks among Jerry Bruckheimer's best productions, and as if The Ring wasn't enough of a boost to Gore Verbinski's career, this should most certainly make him one of the most famous and well respected directors of our time. Johnny Depp was fabulous as Captain Jack Sparrow; Keira Knightley was not only drop dead gorgeous, but also played her character well; and Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Jonathan Pryce, and Jack Davenport are all fine supporting characters. At first, I had a bit of trouble with Pryce and Davenport because of other roles they have played on television (I first saw Pryce in some Infiniti commercials around 10 years ago, and Davenport was a lead in a sitcom on the BBC called Coupling where the storyline was [almost] always based on sex), but I eventually was able to forget their past roles. I've heard the score one thousand times before, but it worked. A wonderful blend of action, drama, comedy, and romance, this is the first movie I've been to where much of the audience clapped at the beginning of the ending credits. This is the epic adventure I didn't expect and have been waiting so long to see.

Don't leave when the ending credits start, stay until the very end! Trust me!

 

[MikeRS]

:star: :star: :star: :star:

When a film delivers escapist fun, great pirates, rich scenery, a spirited babe, excellent production value, tight craftsmanship, cool villains, fantastic special Fx, comedy, action, spooky visuals, and Johnny Depp at the top of his game (in the lead role).............

It's pretty elementary:

Fun summer movie + character for the ages=

My ass in a seat again this weekend

 

[todd stone]

Saw this last night, although the film stopped once do to a ceiling leak, in which we got a free pass, but we caught the last 25 minutes in another theater which in turn also stopped for 10 minutes due to lightning hehe.

After 3 hours or so of waiting to FINALLY see the end of the movie all I can say is WOW. The WOW is not much due to the movie but for Johnny Depp. Already one of my favorite actors, he has sealed the deal with this role. This man deserves an OSCAR for crying out loud. Without DEPP in the movie, it would have suffered quite a bit IMO.

The only thing that I did not enjoy were the nighttime battles. Why do directors feel having fights during night scenes are the best? They are very hard to see what's exactly going on and lose some luster by doing so.

Anyway good overall :star: :star: :star: :star:


if the movie does well, judging from the ending we can expect a clear cut sequel coming to us.

 

[Wes C]

This movie really worked. It looks good, it sounds good. The performances are great. This was definitely one of my favorite movies this summer.

9/10

 

[ThomasC]

Second viewing review: I had two major problems this time around: Keira Knightley's acting and the pacing. In most of the scenes, KK was just fine, but in a scene where she's supposed to be freaked out beyond belief, her bland facial expressions took me out of the movie for a bit. Some of the scenes could've definitely used a little trim here and there, but the pacing didn't affect the movie that much. I had no problems with Davenport and Pryce this time around.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

I had to wait two days, but it was worth it. I'll give it another view tomorrow night with friends and family.

Scott's effusive praise covers the high points. My score won't be as generous, but the film is ALMOST that good, so who cares

To pretend to be an actual film critic, I'll make an analogy to the film being reviewed. An early scene shows Will Turner showing off his work (although only he, and we if you are quick, know that). He balances a sword perfectly, showing the craftmanship and care. That's the best analogy for this film. It is very balanced, and will play effectively to many different audiences. Great care went into all elements of the film, from casting to acting, from props to lighting, from the story to the effects.

I also feel it's a few minutes too long, although the ending is one of it's best elements. Keira Knightley is absolutely beautiful. I am not one to swoon over the latest hot young beauty (my love is firmly fixed for Jodie Foster), but she is just lovely to look at. Orlando gives a sufficient performance, and is the short pole acting-wise. That said he still does just fine; it's simply tough to share scenes with Johnny Depp so often. Much has been said and written about Johnny Depp. As Seth stated, the script is set up to make him the audience favorite, and boy does he work it. His charm and talent are unbelievable. One of the most impressive feats in his performance is that he has no signature moment to shine, no grand speech or physical action. It's just a sum total of details and deliveries that make it a special performance.

The VFX are great and, most critically, actually special. I'll be very interested in seeing how they were envisioned, created, and delivered. All other technical aspects of the film were also spot on.

I remarked to my wife while riding Pirates of the Caribbean about two years ago that cinema needed a good pirate movie. I was half-serious, because it wasn't in the cards, and I hoped against hope that Ridley Scott would direct one (I still wish that!). Lo and behold, the wheels were already in motion, and it resulted in a pure summer film.

9/10

Take care,
Chuck

 

[Patrick Sun]

This is the pirate movie that would not end. Oh my goodness, it could have been a mini-series given the pacing and the plotlines the writers developed.

Other than the length of the film, it captured the spirit of good pirate films of yore (the scroundrel aspect of pirates, the willingness to bargain to the exact letter of the agreement, the funny quips of irony, etc). There cross purposes at work from many different angles, and since it ran so long, you never really knew where it was going until they decided to get "there".

Overall, I thought the acting performances were good all around, with Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush pulling most of the weight with aplomb. Orlando Bloom is still a bit wet behind the ears, but the girls in the audience swooned when he showed up on the screen. Keira Knightley showed enough toughness when called upon, and aristocratic flair rather easily. The supporting characters all contributed to the big cast and crew of characters that flowed in and out of the film.

I give it 3.5 stars, or a grade of B+ (would have been an A- if it were cut down from its 143 minute running time).