An Epic Review of a Truly Epic Film (Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse Of The Black Pearl (DVD))

Member Name: christianfilm

Product:	Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse Of The Black Pearl (DVD)
Date:	27/03/07 (295 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, entertaining, great characters, great dvd package

Disadvantages: Maybe a little too long for some

>>>> Synopsis

Having arrived at Port Royal and in the market for a new ship, the eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) soon finds himself in trouble when he saves the life of the governor's daughter, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) as she nearly drowns. Thrown into jail for acts of piracy his future looks doomed until a mysterious ship, the Black Pearl, captained by the evil Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and a bunch of equally evil pirates, arrives at the port in search of a lost gold doubloon. After throwing the port into turmoil they kidnap Elizabeth and set sail. Leaving Sparrow and Elizabeth's childhood friend Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) to join forces and set of on an adventure to rescue poor Elizabeth and find out the secret behind the mysterious gold doubloon.


>>>> Opinion

Without a single doubt in my mind no matter how stunning the special effects may be, or engaging the storyline is, or even how spectacular the action sequences are this film would only rank 4 out of 5 stars for me and many others but for two very prominent reasons. Firstly it features one of the most impressive musical scores in recent cinematic history which is powerful yet totally in fitting with the mood of the film. But more importantly it features the talents of Johnny Depp in what is not only an exceptionally brilliant performance but also in creating one of the most memorable characters to hit our screens for many years, that being the humorous and eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow.

Apparently inspired by the Disney theme park ride of the same name, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" has one foot firmly placed in the past, when swashbuckling pirate flicks were all the rage. This modernisation of a classic Hollywood theme is definitely a slick production which features every feasible plot element going from adventure, mystery, romance and being a Disney flick it has a huge dose of family humour. Although not the most complex of plot lines, and at times highly predictable, it is such an amazing production that it grips you right from the outset and takes you on a rollercoaster ride of adventure which makes a change from the majority of so called Hollywood blockbusters which promise much but deliver little.

The main plotline surrounds the mystery gold doubloon which Captain Barbossa needs and will do anything to lay his mucky seadog paws on. Whilst this may look rather boring on paper, the reasoning behind his actions is one of the most enjoyable twists I have seen in a film for a few years. Without divulging this twist all I can say it allows for the special effects team to do their magic in absolutely spectacular style. Tying into this plotline is a marvellous sub plot which features Captain Jack Sparrow who had previously been the captain of the Black Pearl until a mutiny left him shall we say "in the market" for a new ship. Add to this the wonderfully low level subplot surrounding the romance between Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann and you have a varied tale with something for everyone. But the most noticeable element of the film is the sense of humour which is prevalent in even the darkest of scenes. Although some purists may say that this light hearted approach to a Pirate adventure cheapens this classic theme, I personally find the humour much more appealing with an exceptionally good mix of both visual and audial gags.

It would be impossible to do this film justice without mentioning the stunning special effects and action which are huge part of the reason why this rollercoaster ride of a film is so engaging. With everything from swinging from the rigging, too cannon explosions and marvellous swashbuckling sword fights, this film is everything that a modern day pirate film should be. I am sure that no expense was spared in the production of this blockbuster as every action sequence from the one-on-one duals through to the epic battles feels so well choreographed that it really adds to the enjoyment of the film. But it is not just the stunning action which works so well but the brilliant special effects which will make you wonder how they heck did they manage to do that and make it flow so effortlessly. Of course with modern techniques this film is steeped with CGI, but at no time do you feel like it looks fake, and it is partly down to the spooky realism as to why this stands head and shoulders above other modern blockbusters.

But as I mentioned earlier the main factor as to why this film is so great is in the marvellous characters, most notably that of Captain Jack Sparrow, a man who looks like he has been spending far too much time hanging around with Keith Richards. Well for those in the know will realise that Johnny Depp modelled his performance on the Rolling Stone, stating that pirates were the Rock n Roll stars of there era. Well who knows, but his creation is one of the most humorous and well crafted characters to hit our screen in a long time. Depp has got an amazing ability to do visual comedy but he also has the perfect timing when it comes to delivering lines which is evident through out the film whether it is in a humorous scene or in one of the few dramatic moments. Add to Depp's performance two of the hottest young actors around at the moment in the form of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley and you have the basis of a wonderful cast. Bloom's character as the innocent Will Turner may play second fiddle to that of Depp's, but his performance is spot on playing it mainly straight to Depp's over the top campness. Add Knightley as the beautiful Elizabeth Swann your not so typical damsel in distress as she has a mind of her own and more than capable of her handling herself in battle. In fact right down to the smallest of roles, every single character is interesting and brilliantly played with the likes of Jonathan Pryce, Mackenzie Crook and Jack Davenport putting in great supporting performances. Not to forget Geoffrey Rush who puts in a class turn as the villainous Captain Barbossa.

When you learn that , "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" is the work of action supremo Jerry Bruckheimer it won't surprise you at the epic scale of the film. Legendary for his entertaining action packed movies, every ounce of his expertise has been poured into this movie and it shows. I cannot honestly find a flaw with any aspect of the movie as it entertained me with humour and drama, whilst thrilled me with action and adventure. To cap the film off is the stunning musical score which not only builds up the atmosphere but raises the level of excitement with a truly triumphant arrangement which without it the film would be severely lacking.


>>>> Film Summary

As you can probably guess from the glowing review, I rate , "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" very highly, and honestly feel it is one of the most entertaining films to have hit the big screen in the last 5 years. With a great mixture of action, adventure, drama and huge dollop of humour the film has something for just about everyone. What also makes the film such a modern classic is the brilliant array of characters and the equally brilliant performances from all the cast, most notably Johnny Depp for creating one of modern cinemas most memorable characters. But whilst I won't deny the fact that I think the film is great, there are some who will not be so amoured with it, most notably the over the topness of the characters and the tilt towards the humour will not appeal to everyone, let alone the fact that at 143 minutes long it is slightly a bum numbing affair.


>>>> DVD Package

Like the film, this DVD package is a true epic affair with not just one disc but three, packed to the hilt with extras ranging from audio commentaries, behind the scene footage and amusing bloopers.

> Special Features

- Disc 1

Audio Commentaries - Here you have the choice of 4 audio commentaries, 2 full length commentaries with the first coming from director Gore Verbinski and actor Johnny Depp, whilst the second comes from the 4 screen writers. Both divulge interesting information on how the film was made and what went into each scene with the first commentary being the most interesting and most lively. The other two commentaries are scene specific with the first one coming from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and the second from Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. Sadly Bruckheimer's commentary is rather short and bland compared to the lively and enthusiastic delivery from Bloom and Knightley. Whilst all 4 commentaries are of a good standard the first one is clearly the best.

Sneak Peeks - A selection of trailers and ads for soon to be released movies.

THX Optimizer - Apparently this is meant to aid you in getting the most out of your surround sound system, bit pointless in my opinion.

Computer Features - there are two options here which are very similar in their functionality. The first one allows you to watch part of the film on one side of your screen whilst having the screen play on the other. The second feature is nearly identical although you get the story boards instead of the screenplay. Quite interesting for those who want to see how closely the film follows the original concepts.

- Disc 2

An Epic at Sea: The Making of Pirates of the Caribbean - This is a multi-sectioned feature which can be watched in each segment or as one long feature. As you would guess this is a look at how the film was made with all the stuff which generally fills these features from behind the scene footage, interviews and actual film footage. What is really good is the amount of detail this goes into from the difficulties with finding a location, the creation of the ships and also how the stunning CGI effects were created. Definitely one of the best making of features I have watched.

Fly on the Set - this is a look at 5 scenes from the film, with footage of rehersals, discussions between actors and directors and then the actual filming of the scenes. These are really nice as you get to see that what may look like a simple 30 second scene is the culmination of several different takes from different angles to get the final shot.

Producer's Photo Diary - quite a strange feature as this is a montage of photos which Bruckheimer took on set and he provides quite a boring narration to go along with it.

Diary of a Pirate - Actor Lee Arenberg provides a short video diary of behind the scenes, which although not overly informative is reasonably fun.

Diary of a Ship - This is like a travelogue from the real captain of the Lady Washington, the ship which was used to play the Interceptor in the film, as he sails the ship from it's home in California to the set in the Caribbean. Not the most amazing of features but enjoyable to watch once.

Below Deck - again another sequential feature which can be viewed as one long feature or in segments. It takes a look at the history of pirates using archive material as well as film footage from the film and those of the golden era of cinema.

Blooper reel - a short feature of goofs, gags and general tom foolery, which will bring a smile to your face.

Deleted and Extended Scenes - In total we have 19 scenes which ended up on the cutting room floor for one reason or another. All of which are interesting but in reality would have added nothing major to an already epic movie.

"Moonlight Serenade" scene progression - A rather disjointed look at how CGI was used to create one of the stunning scenes in the movie. Although very interesting it is thankfully short as it does not flow at all.

Image gallery - a vast array of photos and conceptual drawings from the movie. For me there were far too many and became quite bored of this feature after going through the seconf section.

Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Colour - This is a broadcast from the 1968 series which looks at how they created the theme park ride at Disneyland. Despite not being directly related to the film it was a rather novel and enjoyable feature.

Computer Features - Another selection of features which includes image galleries, more information on the theme park ride and a rather novel idea where you can create a skeletal pirate from a photo of yourself.

- Disc 3 - The Lost Disc

Becoming Captain Jack - A look at how Johnny Depp created the memorable character and the work which went into his costume. Interesting but slightly repetitive.

Becoming Barbossa - as with the previous feature this looks at how the character was made and the transformation Geoffrey Rush went through to become the villainous pirate.

Thar She Blows - A look at how they managed to create the scene where the Interceptor blows up. Whilst not the most informative of features you will be amazed at the amount of detail and preparation which goes into the creation of this scene.

The Monkey's name is Jack - One of the funniest features as we learn about the difficulties of controlling the monkey which features as Barbossa's pet.

More fly on the set - again like on disc 2 we get to see how three of the scenes were constructed from rehearsals, to discussions through to the final shooting.

Pirates around the world - One of the least worthwhile of features, as we have a running scene which changes the language at sporadic moments so we can hear and see how the film appears to other nations. Although, it is amazing how closely the actors lips sync with the different languages.

Spirit of the Ride - a short feature that looks at how the theme park ride inspired the film, which to be honest is rather boring.

Sneak Attack - This is a CGI animation which was used to see how a scene would plan out, again rather boring and to be honest this feels more like padding than anything else.

Dead Men Tells No Lies - Now I know they are clutching at straws as this is the same as one of the computer features from the second disc, although now you no longer need a computer to watch it.


> Picture and Sound Quality

Quite simply on both accounts faultless, but you would expect nothing less of a modern day blockbuster. The picture is constantly crisp, with wonderful vibrant colours and next to no flecks or crackles. The sound is dynamic using every single channel of your system to provide a stunning atmosphere, as dialogue and special effects move round all the speakers as if you were slap bang in the middle of the action. Add to this the stunning musical score which is strong through out and you have a great audio experience.


>>>> DVD Summary

The DVD package is brilliant except that by the end of the third disc they seem to be scraping for material to fill it with, resorting to reworking footage from the second disc. Despite this the package has a great array of features which are both entertaining and informative. The picture and sound quality is perfect and really brings this big screen blockbuster into your own home. The question is, is the three disc version worth the couple of extra pounds you would have to pay or would the slight cheaper one disc version suffice. Well if you are a fan of the extras then definitely pay the extra as this has everything you would ever want.


>>>> Price & Availability

Amazon.co.uk: £7.98


>>>> Technical Details

Certificate: 12
Duration: 143 mins
Year of Release: 2003
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

DVD Release: 2005
Subtitles: English
Audio: English
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Region: 2
Number of Discs: 3

Director(s): Gore Verbinski
Writer(s): Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer

Cast: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport, Jonathan Pryce, Lee Arenberg, Mackenzie Crook, Damian O'Hare, Giles New, Angus Barnett, David Bailie, Michael Berry Jr., Isaac C. Singleton Jr.


© Christianfilm March 2007

Summary: A tale of pirates, love and a mysterious coin.