Ahhhhh matey! (Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse Of The Black Pearl (DVD))

Member Name: srtom

Product:	Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse Of The Black Pearl (DVD)
Date:	02/06/04 (141 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Genius casting , Johnny Deep, 'Gareth' from the office!

Disadvantages: Slightly too long, Need to use CD-ROM for DVD extra, Awful if you don't like pirates!

Cast:

Johnny Depp .... Jack Sparrow
Geoffrey Rush .... Barbossa
Orlando Bloom .... Will Turner
Keira Knightley .... Elizabeth Swann
Jack Davenport .... Norrington
Jonathan Pryce .... Governor Weatherby Swann
Lee Arenberg .... Pintel
Mackenzie Crook .... Ragetti

Directed by: Gore Verbinski


I could enthuse all day about this film and have been ever since the day I found out it was being released. As a huge fan of pirate and buccaneer movies I can generally sit through even the most mundane of stories (Cutthroat Island with Geena Davies anyone?) but Pirates of the Caribbean, directed by Gore Verbinski and released by Disney was simply a joy to watch from start to finish.


BRIEF:

When I was little my teacher would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up (debatable this has happened yet!) and I would always reply "a pirate!" There's something incredibly exciting about riding the high seas and all the swashbuckling, bounty and women that could be afforded when everything goes to plan. This is where Pirates of the Caribbean turns the genre on its head and brings the ever drunk Captain Jack Sparrow to the fore (characterised fantastically by Johnny Depp) who was summed up aptly by Norrington (Jack Davenport) as "the worst pirate I have ever seen!" Depp's great entrance, standing on the crows nest looking majestically to the horizon until stepping onto the dock set the style of the film as a swash-buckler, that wanted to be immersed in a pirate stereotype and did not take itself too seriously.


THE FILM:

The first of a rumo
ured few movies encapsulating this motley crew, Pirates of the Caribbean does well to introduce the characters, from the effervescent Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) to the "ahhhhh matey" of Geoffrey Rush (Barbossa), exaggerating the pirate drawl and mannerisms to the maximum as he battles with his old foe Jack Sparrow.

The premise of the plot revolves around Jack teaming up with the unlikely hero of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) to save the governors daughter (Elizabeth Swann) as she is kidnapped by the evil pirates led by Captain Barbossa (Rush). However, little do this unlikely team realise that the pirates have been cursed by the treasure that they once plundered many years before. Forced to exist between living and dead, and only revealing their skeletal forms in the moonlight, Barbossa intends to use Elizabeth's blood and her necklace (on which a gold medallion hangs) to transform themselves back to the mortal realm. Only when every piece of gold has been returned to its rightful resting place will the curse be lifted.

Will Turner and Elizabeth provide the romance in the film with the dashing Orlando Bloom attempting to win his fair maidens heart at every turn. Keira Knightley was well casted as the young Elizabeth but there was something I can't quite place my finger on where the romance just didn't click properly in places. I think Orlando Bloom's character as the bold, courageous Will Turner was exaggerated too far in places and as a result the relationship between the two didn't seem as feasible as it could have been.

Jack Sparrow's intentions however, were far less honourable with his main goal to retrieve the Black Pearl, the ship that was captured from him by Captain Barbossa. The character depiction b
y Depp is pure quality as he satirises the drunkard pirate perfectly, stumbling from one mess to another in his lame attempts to recapture the boat. You will have to watch the film for yourselves to find out the many ingenious moves by Depp, as his character steals the show for the majority of the film. Although great acting in this role has earned him many nominations, I still feel that Depp could have pushed the boat out with the pirate stereotype a little more and could have been written more witty lines in the film. However, as a testament to the well-written script, there will be many one-liners that you remember, such as "You like pain? Try wearing a corset!" by Elizabeth and "Bootstrap's bootstrap's...." from the eminently recognisable Mackenzie Crook (Gareth from The Office).

Gore Verbinski and Disney have really pulled out the stops to provide a swash-buckling affair that was not only amusing, but hit all the right notes in the pirate stakes. I can guarantee you will be happy with this film and not wondering where the rum has gone by the end of it.

DVD DETAILS:

2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Dolby Digital 5.1 (English, French)
DTS 5.1 (English)
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Closed Captioned
Release Date: December 2, 2003
Two single-sided, dual-layered discs (DVD-9)

DVD EXTRAS:

An Epic at Sea
Fly on the Set
Diaries
Below Deck
Blooper Reel
Deleted Scenes
Moonlight Serenade Scene Progression
Image Gallery
Pirates in the Parks

No less than 3 audio commentaries are also provided. The f
irst is a full-length track with director Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp, the second; Jerry Bruckheimer joins actors Kiera Knightly and Jack Davenport for a select-scene commentary that only covers some of the movie and the third; the screenwriters Stuart Beattie, Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio, and Jay Wolpert get a full length commentary mainly talking about the script.

Most of the DVD features are used on the PC and overall is a very good addition to the film and compliments the DVD package nicely.

Summary: