A fantastic film for all the family (Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse Of The Black Pearl (DVD))

Member Name: CherryVegas

Product:	Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse Of The Black Pearl (DVD)
Date:	13/04/08 (84 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good storyline, great actors

Disadvantages: None

This is a great action-packed and entertaining film which doesn't take itself too seriously, and it's definitely my favourite film of recent years.


Captain Jack Sparrow, having lost his ship, the Black Pearl, to his mutinous first mate, Barbossa, arrives in the town of Port Royal and inadvertently gets himself thrown in jail for piracy when he saves the Governor's daughter, Elizabeth Swann, from drowning. Whilst he's locked up the town is attacked by the Black Pearl and her crew, drawn there by the piece of Aztec gold that Elizabeth has in her possession. Barbossa's crew kidnap Elizabeth, prompting her childhood friend, Will Turner, to team up with Jack Sparrow in a gallant attempt to rescue her and recover Jack's ship.

There's a whole host of familiar faces here including Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Swann, Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa, and Mackenzie Crook as one of the Black Pearl's cursed crew. It's a top cast of great actors who all work well together and play their parts believably throughout, but their performances are all somewhat overshadowed by Johnny Depp's spectacular portrayal of the eccentric, lovable rogue, Captain Jack Sparrow.

There are some great action scenes in this film, some more believable than others, but all are fantastic to watch, and you can tell that a lot of thought and detail's gone into the choreography and direction of these scenes. There's also a lot of humour throughout the film, and some of it, mainly due to Depp's acting skills, is down right hilarious.

The special effects are amazing, from the cannon fire and explosions, to the undead figures of the cursed pirates, it's all perfect; believable and realistic within the context of the film. The soundtrack is also fantastic. There is some really powerful music which fits perfectly with the theme and captures the feeling of the piece.

This film has been given a 12 rating, which I think is fair as it does contain some mild language and violence, and it could be quite scary to younger children.

There are quite a few special features on the DVD, including the usual type of documentaries like 'fly on the set' and ones that show you how things were done, an image gallery, deleted scenes and a blooper reel. To be honest the only things I really wanted to watch was the blooper reel, I didn't find any of the other special features particularly interesting, though I'm sure they would be interesting to some people.

Summary: The best film of recent years