Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski bring you the thrilling tale of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is the first in the soon-to-be-completed trilogy about Captain Jack Sparrow, a rather quirky pirate who has recently escaped a deserted island and wants himself a ship. He wants to get revenge upon his mutineering crew and with just a pistol with a single bullet, he sets out. Captain Jack (Johnny Depp) finds himself in Port Royale and the story begins. A swashbuckling storyline full of little twists and turn as Jack is joined on his journey by William Turner (Orlando Bloom), an apprentice blacksmith out on a journey to find out about his past and looking for the girl of his dreams, Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightly) who is already engaged to Commodore Norrington (Jack Davenport).
My opinion on this film is that it is a really great resurrection of the swashbuckling pirate film that was about due really. The storyline to this film is the kind of thing you find interesting when you're watching it but you wonder where all the time went when you look back at it. I'm not saying that it is bad as this is one of my favourite films just a bit thin in places.
The acting quality in this is a little bit mixed. Johnny Depp absolutely makes this film, if everyone else was a complete amateur who had never acted before, he could probably carry this film through to being a success. His very original take on the role of Captain Jack Sparrow has definitely had a major success on the success of the film. Jack has to be one of the greatest
movie characters of all time which is a credit to the actor. Great looking in his pirate's outfit, many men will be left feeling jealous after watching this with a girlfriend. Orlando Bloom, fresh off of filming a Lord of the Rings film is only a new comer at the time of this film. In this he has to change his bow for a sword as he becomes blacksmith and master swordsman Will Turner. Compared to Johnny Depp, probably isn't as good as he could be. Definitely good enough to keep the quality standards up but nothing amazing. Keira Knightly as Elizabeth Swan is again a little like Orlando Bloom, seems a little outshined by the seasoned veterans in the film. Is adequate at playing the role of strong independant 'pretty girl' but again she is nothing special. The rest of the casting are of high quality and with many very memorable characters you will remember them for a long while. One to watch is Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa, the one who lead the crew to mutiny against Captain Jack.
The special effects used in this film are outstanding. I think that most of the ship scenes were actually filmed out at sea except when they needed specific conditions which were unavailable or unsafe. Other than that, the cursed pirates scenes were the main special effects scenes and they are outstanding. Very realistic undead pirates and even an undead monkey. Really creepily well made pirates, you wouldn't want to meet these down a dark alley, or in the street in broad daylight for that matter.
Another thing that needs commenting on is the amazing soundtrack music composed by Klaus Badelt which carries the story along brilliantly. Really epic sort of music that you'll find yourself humming to yourself after without realising. It really suits the film and adds a sense of power especially to the sailing scenes. The Pirates of the Caribbean Soundtrack would definitely be a great buy.
Although this is a Disney film and therefore aimed predominantly at kids it is definitely a very enjoyable watch for any age of audience. Rated at a 12a it shows this is slightly more adult than a typical Disney film. Everybody can enjoy this film immensely not just for a specific audience. Overall it has more of an adult humour than childish, nothing rude but it's just not stupid humour. It could also be a little difficult to follow if you don't pay attention especially when you get onto the second film.
■The DVD■ --Disc One -The Movie -Audio Commentaries
--Disc Two -Epic at Sea -Diaries -Fly on the Set -Blooper Reel -Pirates in the Park -Below Deck -19 Deleted Scenes -'Moonlight Serenade' -Image Gallery -DVD-ROM
The first two discs contain the movie and a few added extras. This is the basic disc that is available separately if you do not want the extras on the next disc. I like this as it contains a few interesting little extras like the 'Blooper Reel' which is always interesting and funny. Also contains deleted scenes for those of you who, like me, just can't get enough of Pirates of the Caribbean!
--DVD Three - The Lost Disc -"Becoming Captain Jack" - (7:45) A short clip with everyone's faourite pirate Johnny Depp about how he became the quirky and unique Jack Sparrow and how he dreamed of playing a pirate as a child.
-"Becoming Barbossa" - (5:29) Another short clip into how the actors become the characters. This one is with Geoffrey Rush as he shows everyone how he became Captain Barbossa.
-"Thar She Blows" - (6:15) A short clip showing how the designers built 'The Interceptor', the pride of the Royal Navy and how they eventually blew it up. Interesting little part, well worth watching.
-"The Monkey's Name Is Jack" - (4:33) This shows the 'actors' behind Captain Barbossa's monkey and learn how they, Levi and Tara (who shared the role), almost caused as much troubl on set as in the movie.
-More 'Fly on the Set' Featurettes - (15:31) An extra quarter of an hour of filming on the set seeing even more in depth how the producers put the movie together. If you like finding out more about the filming process this is obviously great to watch.
-"Pirates Around the World" - (4:09) This is a little bit silly but entertaining nonetheless. It is a small selection of clips of Pirates of the Caribbean in different languages all around the world. You know you love flicking between languages and watching the bad dubbing, this puts together the best parts for you.
-"Spirits of the Ride" - (7:09) This is a bit of insight into the ride that inspired the films. You get a few memories from the cast including Johnny Depp and the director Gore Verbinski.
-"Dead Men Tell No Tales" - (13:41) This is a documentary that was only previously available on the PC but is now available on your television screens! All thanks to The Lost Disc!
-"Sneak Attack Animatic" - (4:14) Just a small feature about how the makers of the film used animated clips to help them organise the final film before they moved on to shooting it in person.
The Lost Disc is a definite must have for anybody who loves Pirates of the Caribbean, movie making or just Johnny Depp. I thouroughly enjoyed watching all of the clips in all the discs. I would say that if you're not a massive fan then it is not neccessary but it is probably a similar price to the normal versions now anyway so it is well worth a buy. The film is a great film which is bound to become a classic and with the release of the third film. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End you better watch this if you haven't yet!
Movie Running Time: 137 minutes. Rating: 12a Languages: English Subtitles: English.
The Lost Disc Running Time: 73 minutes Rating: PG Languages: English Subtitles: Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Portugeuse.
Price: £8.98 on Amazon.
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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
Action/Adventure - Director: Gore Verbinski - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Bill Nighy, Keira Knightley, Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Chow Yun-Fat
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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