Roger Ebert started his review by stating, “There's a nice little 90-minute B movie trapped inside the 143 minutes of "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," a movie that charms the audience and then outstays its welcome. Although the ending leaves open the possibility of a sequel, the movie feels like it already includes the sequel; maybe that explains the double-barreled title. It's a good thing that Geoffrey Rush and Johnny Depp are on hand to jack up the acting department. Their characters, two world-class goofballs, keep us interested even during entirely pointless swordfights.”
Ebert then continued by saying, “Pointless? See if you can follow me here.” Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) has a real hatred for Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who was the captain of a rebellion on Sparrow’s pirate ship, the Black Pearl, and left Sparrow stranded on a deserted island. Barbossa and his crew then spread an ancient curse that turned everything into the Undead. By day they look like normal if degenerate humans, but by night, they’re revealed as skeletal corpses. This is the most important fact: Because they’re already dead, they cannot be killed. Ebert said, “Excuse me for supplying logic where it is manifestly not wanted, but doesn't that mean there's no point in fighting them? There's a violent battle at one point between the Black Pearl crew and sailors of the Royal Navy, and unless I am mistaken the sailors would all eventually have to be dead because the skeletons could just keep on fighting forever, until they won. Yes? The only reason I bring this up is that the battle scenes actually feel as if they go on forever. It's fun at first to see a pirate swordfight, but eventually it gets to the point where the sword-clashing, yardarm-swinging and timber-shivering get repetitious. I also lost count of how many times Jack Sparrow is the helpless captive of both the British and the pirates, and escapes from the chains/brig/noose/island.”
Ebert continued, “And yet the movie made me grin at times, and savor the daffy plot, and enjoy the way Depp and Rush fearlessly provide performances that seem nourished by deep wells of nuttiness. Depp in particular seems to be channeling a drunken drag queen, with his eyeliner and the way he minces ashore and slurs his dialogue ever so insouciantly. Don't mistake me: This is not a criticism, but admiration for his work. It can be said that his performance is original in its every atom.” There has never been a pirate, or a human in that way, like this in any other movie. One person said that he got too much sun while he was deserted on the island, but his behavior is a lifetime of rehearsal. Ebert describes him as “a peacock in full display.”
Ebert compared, “Consider how boring it would have been if Depp had played the role straight, as an Errol Flynn or Douglas Fairbanks (Sr. or Jr.) might have. To take this material seriously would make it unbearable. Capt. Sparrow's behavior is so rococo that other members of the cast actually comment on it. And yet because it is consistent and because you can never catch Depp making fun of the character, it rises to a kind of cockamamie sincerity.”
Geoffrey Rush is fairly quiet – but only by contrast. Ebert is funny when he said, “His Barbossa, whose teeth alone would intimidate a congregation of dentists, brings gnashing to an art form.”
Only the film’s PG-13 rating prevents him from doing inappropriate things to the heroine, Elizabeth Swann, played by Keira Knightley, whose blood, it is told, can free the captain and his crew from the Curse of the Black Pearl.
Elizabeth is the daughter of Weatherby Swann, the governor (Jonathan Pryce) of Part Royal, a British base in the Caribbean, and is arranged to marry Cmdr. Norrington (Jack Davenport), a destiny which we feel would be a lifetime of conversations about his constipation.
She actually loves the handsome young swordsmith Will Turner, played by Orlando Bloom, whom she met when they were both children, after seeing him from afar on a raft with a golden pirate medallion around his neck, which turns out to hold the key to the curse. Jack Sparrow becomes like a fatherly figure to Will, especially after he finds out who his father was…and that is enough of the story.
Ebert said, “Bloom is well cast in a severely limited role as the heroic straight-arrow. He has the classic profile of a silent-film star. Knightley you will recall as the best friend of the heroine in "Bend It Like Beckham," where she had a sparkle altogether lacking here.”
Ebert continued, “Truth be told, she doesn't generate enough fire to explain why these swashbucklers would risk their lives for her, and in closeup, seems composed when she should smolder. Parminder K. Nagra, the star of "Beckham," might have been a more spirited choice.”
Ebert admitted, “"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" is "based on" the theme park ride at Disney World, which I have taken many times. It is also inspired (as the ride no doubt was) by the rich tradition of pirate movies, and excels in such departments as buried treasure, pirates' caves, pet parrots and walking the plank, although there is a shortage of eye patches and hooks.”
The author Dave Eggers said he had plans to open a Pirates’ Store, filled with planks measured and made to order, and “The Curse of the Black Pearl” is like his dream come true.
I saw this movie when I was a freshman in High School one day in class and again when it was On Demand. I really enjoyed this film and it’s a good popcorn flick. If you haven’t seen this movie, then you should, you will enjoy it, especially since this is a Disney movie.
No surprise, this film launched a franchise, which we will look at throughout this month. Next week, I will talk about the first sequel in “Pirates of the Caribbean Month.”
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