Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Rating: PG-13 (for action/adventure violence)
Recommended for: Ages 13 and up
From producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pearl Harbor) comes Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the thrilling, high-seas adventure with a mysterious twist. The roguish yet charming Captain Jack Sparrow's (Johnny Depp) idyllic pirate life capsizes after his nemesis, the wily Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), steals his ship the Black Pearl, and later attacks the town of Port Royal, kidnapping the governor's beautiful daughter Elizabeth (Keira Knightly). In a gallant attempt to rescue her and recapture the Black Pearl, Elizabeth's childhood friend Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) joins forces with Jack. What Will doesn't know is that a cursed treasure has doomed Barbossa and his crew to live forever as the undead. Rich in suspense-filled adventure, sword-clashing action, mystery, humor, unforgettable characters and never-before-seen special effects, Pirates is a must-have on the grandest scale ever.
This movie is based off of a ride at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. While it is not the greatest movie in the world, it can be a fun movie if you don't take it too seriously.
Technical: 5/5
Like any Disney movie it is a professional product. The special effects were done well, although some of the things are obviously not real. The story flowed well but it can be hard to keep all the story lines and details straight. The music is also amazing and I liked it before I ever sat down and watched a Pirates movie. The costumes looked accurate for the time period.
Setting: 4/5
This movie is set in the Caribbean. I think that it was actually filmed there which would make it accurate. There are then the towns of Port Royal and Tortuga. Tortuga is a very interesting town with a lot of fighting. It is not a good town and I don't know how accurate it is. Port Royal is under the British rule and is a much nicer town than Tortuga.
Plot: 4/5
There are many different plots in this story. Jack wants to get his ship that he lost in a mutiny back, and Will is willing to do anything to rescue Elizabeth from the pirates who kidnapped her. The bad pirates, because some pirates are good in these movies, are trying to break a curse that keeps them from dying or feeling things such as hunger and cold.
Characters: 5/5
All of these characters are well developed although many of them are not good people. Jack is always out for himself and does whatever it takes to get what he wants. Jack influences Will to steal and eventually to become a pirate. Elizabeth tries to protect her people. She loves Will and is willing to marry someone she doesn't love in order to save him. The bad pirates are also willing to go pretty far to break their curse.
Unfortunately, bad is portrayed as good in this movie and the characters are less honorable at the end than they are at the beginning. If you like adventure movies and pirates you will probably like this movie.
Having only seen this and the second movie, I definitely prefer this to the other. Not really interested in seeing the other ones. I agree with watching this with a grain of salt. There's a reason my parents have set guidelines on when you can watch certain movies :)
ReplyDeleteI'm slightly interested in the fifth one, since it's going to involve Will's son trying to save his father, but I think the series ran its course a long time ago. The subverted morals bother me, and honestly, the stories themselves just kept getting worse. But for a movie based on a ride, it's not bad at all.
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