I've just had a baby girl called Caitlin Paige !!!
I've just had a baby girl called Caitlin Paige !!!
Member since:28.02.2003
Reviews:24
Members who trust:28
What else is there to do on a Sunday afternoon when you’re a bit strap for cash and bored out of your head?
Go to the cinema of course!
As we stood in line at the cash desk, we scanned the film board for what was on offer. To say its summer I have found the latest films to fall very short of the "Summer Blockbuster" hype they accumulated in the weeks leading up to their release.
It was my husbands choice to see "Pirates of the Caribbean - the Curse of the Black Pearl" and for once, and I REALLY hate to admit this, but he actually made the right choice! It was packed full of good old fashioned swashbuckling adventure, the likes of which I haven't seen since... well... I haven't seen anything like it basically!
**** THE PLOT ****
Set in the beautiful waters of the Caribbean during the 17th Century comes a tale of love, danger and adventure.
During their crossing from England to America, the Governor Swann and his 12 year old daughter Elizabeth's ship comes across a boy floating in the sea among debris from another ship, left sinking after battle. Pulling him aboard he is left under her care. As the others set off and search for survivors, she finds a pendant on him - one that belongs to a pirate. Fearing what the others will do if they found out she takes the pendant for herself. Its then that they all see the pirate ship sailing away… black sails raised high.
Six years later Elizabeth still has the pendant.
Will Turner, the boy they rescued, has become an apprentice Blacksmith - greatly under valued for his skills. The pair have a strong bond, but both are too scared of the consequences to act. However, Commodore Norrington wants to marry Elizabeth, but even though it would be a good match for her and her father, her heart screams for excitement as she longs to be face to face with a pirate...
Enter Jack Sparrow – sorry - Captain Jack Sparrow. After his vessel sinks in Port Royal he is left searching for a new ship to commandeer. As fate would have it, he ends up saving Elizabeth from drowning, but instead of being thanked – he is arrested for piracy. Escaping their clutches, he hides in a Blacksmiths workhouse where he meets Will. Knowing that he is the one the British soldiers are searching for, Will refuses to let him leave and stands and fights. Jack is impressed by the young mans swordsmanship and tells him he has the blood of a pirate inside him…
That night a ship sails into Port Royal... The Black Pearl... and devastates the town. The crew is sent out in search of what is calling to them - the pendant. Elizabeth, being cornered by two of the pirates, asks to be taken to the captain. Its there that she meets Captain Barbossa and is told of her fate.
You see the crew of the Black Pearl stole some cursed treasure and in order to break the spell they must collect every last item taken and return it, along with a payback - of blood. Elizabeth’s pendant is the last of the treasure and she will be the sacrifice!
As Jack is a pirate Will knows he is able to track down the Black Pearl. After Jack finds out Will’s name he is eager to help, so, upon freeing him from prison, they join forces in search for the pirate ship and Elizabeth - but both for their own and completely different reasons – and so the fun of treachery, deceit and spooky adventure begins - are you ready for what the moonlight brings?....
**** THE CAST ****
Main stars:
JOHNNY DEPP (Edward Scissorhands, Chocolat) as JACK SPARROW Outstanding! Johnny Depp was purely brilliant in his role of the Captain that’s a pirate, but a jolly nice man! I’m not a huge fan of Depp but I found it hard to criticize him. When he first appeared in the film I thought “wow, a gay pirate – that’s new!” but as the story develops you understand why he is the way he is… or isn’t – if you know what I mean (those of you who have seen the film will understand). Depp in my opinion was a perfect choice to play Jack – no one else could have pulled it off as flawlessly or as charmingly as he did. Unique in his acting style and with his quirky gestures and movements, Depp brought another level to Captain Jack Sparrow that no one else could have. The only thing that bothered me was his eyeliner – way too much of it, it drew your attention away from those wonderful eyes!
ORLANDO BLOOM (Lord of the Rings, Black Hawk Down) as WILL TURNER This is the first film I’ve seen with Orlando Bloom. I thought he was great. After Depp’s portrayal of Sparrow anything looks pale in comparison, but I thought Bloom was very convincing as the young man on a journey to discover his real self and find true love. He was solid in his performance and gave the film a very good stereotypical swashbuckling “hero”. Good stuff!
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY (Bend it Like Beckham) as ELIZABETH SWANN Very beautiful and elegant – a long way from the boyish girl in “Bend it Like Beckham”. She plays the damsel in distress very well, but manages to keep the audience with her by not playing on it too much – she’s strong but still a girl in need of help. Perfectly acted.
Other stars:
GEOFFREY RUSH (House on Haunted Hill, The Banger Sisters) as CAPTAIN BARBOSSA
JONATHON PRYCE (The Brothers Grimm, Jumping Jack Flash) as GOVERNOR SWANN
JACK DAVENPORT (The Talented Mr. Ripley) as COMMODORE NORRINGTON
**** MY OPINION ****
A fantastic fun film to watch! ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ is not purely one genre. It is a great refreshing mix of Horror/Adventure/Thriller/Comedy – all perfectly blended together to make, what I think will be the ‘Best movie of the year’.
The script is witty and new. It keeps the film well away from most of the stereotypical ‘Pirate’ films of the past and manages to give it a new edge. It has everything you want from a good film – humour, mystery, suspense, action and not forgetting the mandatory love story! It reminds me a bit of ‘The Goonies’ for its adventure and ‘feel good’ factor.
The acting is superb! Depp steals the show as the ‘camp’ pirate and you find yourself watching him in the background to see what he’s doing in response to the other actors. He made me laugh so much with his quirky remarks and gestures. My favourite line in the film is when two British soldiers are talking to Sparrow about the scary stories of the Black Pearl leaving no survivors in her wake. Sparrow turns and says ‘No survivors? Then where do the stories come from I wonder?’ Great line!
Even though it’s a 12A I would strongly advise that parents watch it first and judge the age at which they would want their child to see it. There is no blood and gore, but the fighting is quite violent and the skeleton scenes are a bit scary – especially for small children. There is a scene near the end that sent a shiver down my spine when Barbossa tells his crew to ‘go for a walk’. Scary stuff! You just never know what is lurking at the bottom of the sea, do you?
Overall it is a fun adventure film, that will keep you laughing until the end and your eyes glued to the screen.
Definitely one of the best films I’ve seen in years!
Sarah xx
****
DIRECTED BY: Gore Verbinski (The Ring, The Time Machine, The Mexican)
PRODUCED BY: Gerry Bruckheimer (Pearl Harbour, Coyote Ugly, Armegeddon, Con Air, The Rock – to name just a few!!)
DISTRIBUTED BY: Walt Disney
LENGTH: approx 143 mins
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2007 - Action/Adventure - Director: Paul Greengrass - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, Edgar Ramirez, David Strathairn, Paddy Considine, Albert Finney
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
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Aug 19th, 2003
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