Pirates of the Carribean: the Curse of the Black Pearl
Best Quote: "No! Not good! Stop! Not good! What are you doing!? You've burned all the food, the shade, the rum!" "Yes, the rum is gone!" "Why is the rum gone?" "One, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. Two, that signal is over a thousand feet high. The entire royal navy is out looking for me; do you really think that there is even the slightest chance that they won't see it?" "But why is the rum gone!?"
There is a ship called The Balck Pearl which is supposedly cursed. Tales tell that the ship is run by a crew of the damned, helmed by one Captain Barbossa (Geoffry Rush).
Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) was once at the helm of the Black Pearl. After a mutiney, however, he lost the ship to Barbossa. Jack was left on a deserted island with only a pistol and a single shot.
The pirates that took the Black Pearl have pillaged and plundered one too many times, it seems. They stole some cursed Aztec treasure that has placed a curse upon themselves. They are only missing one piece, and they know where it is.
That piece is held by Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley), a wealthy Englishman's daughter, who they think they must kill to break the curse.
Jack, however, made it off the deserted island and desperatly wants his revenge against Barbossa. So he teams up with a blacksmith, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), the son of an old friend, who wants to save Elizabeth Swan from the pirates.
Jack, with the odds against him, must use Will's help to save the girl, break the curse, kill his enemy and retake his old ship.
Going into Pirates, I didn't think it would be as good as it was. I was wrong. This is a swashbuckling thrill ride that has many comic bits (but not too many), and several exceptional performances to back up a solid story. The supporting characters were really well cast. Thiere isn't one who feels out of place at any time of the movie, which is one subtlety that works well in the movie's favour.
Geoffry Rush, who plays Captain Barbossa, did a very nice job in the role. He really "feels" evil to the audiance. He looks grubby and dirty, like a pirate should. On the other hand, Keira Knightley played the part of the little rich girl very well, too. She doesn't play the part as if the girl is stuck up, but she does play it that the girl has smarts the average aristocrat wouldn't.
Orlando Bloom has some great moves when ever he is sword fighting, which is exciting to watch. There is a chemistry between Bloom and Knightley; it is subtle, but it is there.
And finallly, Johnny Depp. What can you say about his magnificant performance? Johnny's Jack Sparrow is a half-drunken wild-man who is a great deal smarter than he appears to be. He has brains you'd never think a pirate would have, however, but he still acts like an idiot sometimes. You can clearly see the difference. Johnny based his performance in part on Keith Richards (of The Rolling Stones fame). Even the look of Johnny is amazing. Captain Jack Sparrow won Johnny an Oscar nomiantion, and A well-deserved nomination at that.
I also loved the visual effects of the film, in particular the scenes where the pirates drift in and out of the moon light. The way they seemlessly change from humans to skeletons and back and forth was simply amazing. Props to the computer animators on that one.
Plot: 
There are several plot elements at work in Pirates: One, Jack Wants his ship back. Two, the Pirates want to break the curse palced upon them selves. and three, Will Turner want to save the girl he loves - Elizabeth Swan. You really have to pay attention to know what's going on. But, all the plot elements work together and create a great story.
Visual Effects:
The scene where Jack and Barbossa are swordfighting and jumping in and out of the moonlight, all the while turning from humans to skeletons and back was the pinicle of the visual effects of the film.
Other notable effects are the fights scenes, the blowing up if the interceptor, and the sacking of Port Royal. All exceptionally well done.
Sound:
The classic Disney song "Yo Ho Yo Ho (A Pirate's life for me)" does not appear entirly in the in the movie, which would have been nice. It does, however, appear in bits and pieces through out the film.
The score of the film, done by Klaus Badelt, was very catchy and memorable. The best piece of music is first heard at the point of the movie when we first see the pirates as skeletons.
Character Development:
There really isn't much development of the characters by the end of the film. Jack is still a pirate and has made no headway with the Brits at Port Royal; Elizabeth is the same as she always was; and Will Turner still loves Elizabeth. However, Will doesn't get the girl in the end, which is a nice change from the "hero always gets the girl" motif.
Atmosphere:
Realism:
Weapons, settings, ships, and most props from the film were actually re-created from historical references and they had an actual historian on hand to make sure most everything was acurate to the time period.
And yes, the story is fictional, but it does look and feel like the 1700's.
Warren's Rating: 
8.43/10Is the movie worth your time to watch?
11-11-04
