I'm only going to say this once. You may never hear me say it again so listen close. Thank goodness for Jerry Bruckheimer. The man saved Disney from their own really bad idea. The idea was to take their theme park ride Pirates of the Caribbean and make it into a feature film. My brain hurts just thinking about it. Basing a movie on a ride means you're starting from the thinnest of ideas. It means making a movie with no real idea. Reportedly Disney went to Bruckheimer with their script, he said yes and then promptly threw the script in the trash. From there he went on to make the pirate movie he wanted to make and ignored the increasingly desperate pleas to keep it a respectable Disney product.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is not a great movie. But it is an extremely entertaining one. Bruckheimer's hand picked cast and crew have managed to turn in a film that is actually much like taking a ride. You get swept away and find yourself whooping and laughing like a little kid. Needless to say if made in the Disney manner it would probably have been dull and unimaginative and felt like a shameless attempt to pry cash out of your wallet. So thank goodness for Jerry Bruckheimer. I don't often have good things to say about his style of movie making, although I can't deny his skill or business sense, but for once I wholeheartedly thank him from saving me having to watch another mindless summer movie that feels more like a cash register instead of a movie.
The story opens with Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) makes a grand entrance at a British colony in the Caribbean on a small boat that has seen better days. Victim of a mutinous crew, Sparrow is looking to commandeer a ship and reclaim control of his own ship, the Black Pearl. He shows a bit of decency in saving Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), the daughter of the colony's governor, from drowning. That leads to his capture by Commodore Norrington (Jack Davenport), who is seeking her hand in marriage. Soon after, Sparrow crosses swords with a young blacksmith Will (Orlando Bloom) who also is after Elizabeth. She is soon captured during a raid by Sparrow's former crew, now under the command of Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). Sparrow and Will team up and head after her, for each their own reasons. Barbossa is after her because he wants to lift a curse from himself and his crew that has turned them into the undead. They look normal until seen by moonlight and reveal their true forms. Okay, the plot is a bit complicated but it provides enough twists, reversals and surprises to keep most viewers off balance.
I'd suggest there are three major factors in making the movie work. First and foremost is Johnny Depp. Second is Geoffrey Rush and third is the script by Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot. Yes, the costumes are great. Yes, the special effects are slick. Yes the action is well choreographed. Yes the smaller roles are fun too. But the movie is carried on the backs of the four gentlemen I mentioned. Johnny Depp nails his role with such conviction that it is impossible to view the character as a joke, no matter how silly he seems. Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow seems permanently brain damaged from excess sun and rum. He sways, snickers, mumbles and minces. He alternates between seeming brilliant and completely lost. His appearance is thoroughly ridiculous and yet there is not a moment when he isn't joy to watch. This is a thoroughly original performance. You can't look back at old pirate movies and find bits and pieces of the character. Depp came up with something totally different. Geoffrey Rush's Captain Barbossa is only a tiny bit less outrageous but every bit as fully realized as Depp's Sparrow. The two simply dominate the screen in the way that few actors can. These are roles that will be remembered for a very long time. They bring them to raucous life but Rossio and Elliot get the credit for inventing them, a slew of great minor roles and a story to jam them all into.
Those minor roles really help flesh out the film nicely. There are a pair of pirates who exist largely for comic relief, which they excel at. To provide balance there are a pair of British soldiers serving largely the same purpose. Toss in the governor and numerous sailors and you have an entertaining cast. Almost forgotten are the secondary stars Orlando Bloom (Lord of the Rings) and Keira Knightley (Bend it Like Beckham). Relative unknowns until recently, you can expect to see a lot of them in the future. Both have undeniable charisma and screen presence, not to mention being ridiculously attractive.
I said it wasn't a great film because there are some faults. The movie could stand to be trimmed by about 20 minutes. Kiera Knightley's role is fairly generic but then again I suspect a lot of people will be too enchanted with her to notice. The ending is just flat out stupid. The movie could have ended about 6-7 minutes earlier and felt much better for it. But I can't get too worked up about these things as most of the film is such infectious fun.
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