| PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: The Curse of the Black Pearl |
 2003 - USADirector: Gore Verbinski -Reviewed by Linda
Johnny leads a surprisingly respectable cast, including Geoffrey Rush (Quills), Orlando Bloom (Lord of the Rings), and Jonathan Pryce (Brazil), who all seem to be having a great time swashbuckling in their wigs and puffy shirts. Throw in a comely lass, played by the surprisingly Kate Winslet-esque Keira Knightley of Bend it Like Beckham, and you have a group of thesps who rip through this film determined that the audience will have a good time. And heck, the audience DOES! I had my doubts that there could be a plot built around a Disneyland ride where you crowd into a little boat, fall down a couple waterfalls (wahoo!), then meander around scenes of talls ships and rogues chasing buxom women holding fruit platters (the platters being added in more recent years for political correctness). Luckily the movie deals more with adventure than straight-on pillaging, though you will be treated with cannon explosions, swordfights, piles of gold (including the ubiquitous chains and goblets), and swarthy characters. There are even pirates turning into skeletons, which may frighten the young kiddies (they are genuinely creepy), but there is plenty of humor in the film to keep you from dwelling on the heebie-jeebie factor. But let's get back to Depp. You might say that the main characters are the young whelp Will Turner (Bloom) who is out to rescue the lovely governor's daughter (Knightley) who has been kidnapped by pirates. Or perhaps the lead is Captain Barbossa, of the haunted pirate ship The Black Pearl, played by scenery-chewing Rush. But it always comes back to Johnny Depp. His shunned vagabond pirate Sparrow is one of the strangest screen characters to come along quite awhile. He is foppish, fey, seemingly drunk, and relentlessly witty, with a bizarre thrown-together look that is a cross between a Rastafarian beach bum and a glitter-rock queen. And he steals every scene he is in. I couldn't take my eyes off him, and found myself guffawing at his facial tics and body language, even when he was standing (swaying) in the background of a scene. He IS the show. Luckily for Johnny, despite his strengths, he doesn't have to carry the weight of the whole movie on his shoulders. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are pleasant enough as young lovers (not to mention both are ridiculously pretty). Geoffrey Rush looks relieved to be in a decent film again. And the screenplay is surprisingly fun and clever, going beyond the requisite pirate "Aaargh"s and "Huzzah!"s. And though the film goes on WAY too long (note to Hollywood: please no more bloated 2 hour and 20 minute action films... we just... can't... take it!), I only got a little tired of it toward the end. It is vaguely embarrassing to admit to enjoying a film based on a theme park ride, but there you go. If that's what it takes for Hollywood to come up with a "new" idea, well, by all means, let's give it a chance. I may not feel the same when Pirates III in 3D comes out, but for now, it is a perfectly decent, guilt-free popcorn flick. |
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Johnny Depp is one strange fella. Ever since he quit the TV's 21 Jump Street many many moons ago, he hasn't turned back, taking on increasingly unusual and daring film roles. So when I heard that he was starring in this big-budget Disney film based on a theme park ride (fer cryin' out loud), I hollered "Sell-out!" like many others. But now that I've seen the movie, I have to say that the director and producers totally must have given him free reign, because who knows WHAT he was thinking when he created his character. One word on Johnny's Jack Sparrow: HEE-larious!