When wily Captain Barbossa (Rush) steals Jack Sparrow’s ship and kidnaps the governor’s beautiful daughter, Elizabeth (Knightley), her childhood friend Will Turner (Bloom) joins forces with Jack (Depp) to save her and recapture Jack’s ship, the Black Pearl.
- Based on Walt Disney's theme park ride Pirates of the Caribbean.
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It seems like Disney had a good thing going with Johnny Depp for awhile. Not only did he star in their remake Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the live-action Alice in Wonderland< but the highly successful Pirates of the Caribbean franchise seemed to be solely sitting on his shoulders. Amid his recent legal battle with his ex, Disney let him go from that franchise. When the allegations against him turned out to be false, they tried going back – but he’s said he will never play Jack Sparrow again. Whether that is true or not, it seemed like a good time to go back and revisit the first film in the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Would this theme park ride turned blockbuster movie still be worth watching, or is it okay Jack Sparrow has now been retired?
In this first iteration of his character, Johnny Depp fully embraces the character of Jack Sparrow. Said to be based on Keith Richards (among others), Depp manages to make Sparrow a lovable scoundrel. Depp obviously enjoys the character tremendously, and it shows in his every move. And, in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, his antics are fresh and a pleasure to go back and watch time and again.
The rest of the cast follows Depp’s lead, trying to up their game to match his apparent ease with his character. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are paired together well, and both bring a bit of youthful vigor to their characters that’s refreshing. Geoffrey Rush is another standout, portraying a villainous pirate who’s more than able to stand up against Jack. Jonathan Pryce and Jack Davenport also embody their roles, and the rest of the more minor characters – including Zoe Saldana – do a good job backing up this stellar cast.
When trying to adapt a dated theme park ride for modern audiences, it must be tough to come up with a storyline. In Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, they’ve done a great job turning the dull ride into high seas adventure. While they may have run it a bit dry after so many sequels, this first film highlights the best of the adventures. Opening up a whole new world of possibilities, this adventure provides a good mix of action, romance and quirkiness to keep the viewer easily entertained throughout.
And the special effects are on point. Despite the years between the film’s release and now, the effects have lost nary a step. While today’s viewers might be able to more easily distinguish how some of them were done, they still look as strong as they used to, and help capture the imagination of the viewer, even now.
With a strong cast lead by a perfectly cast Johnny Depp, it’s easy to see why this film has garnered so many sequels. With a solid story putting some meat behind a hokey theme park ride, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a fun swashbuckling adventure with a twist – and something viewers will easily get hooked into time and again.
