Okay, so I finally got a chance to go see Pirates of the Caribbean yesterday. When I first started hearing about it, I was pretty skeptical — a movie based on a Disney theme park ride? Interest was reawakened once I started hearing the cast list (Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Geoffrey Rush). Then, it finally came out, and was getting good reviews. Wow, did Disney manage to do something right without Pixar‘s help?
They did indeed. PotC:CotBP is an absolute blast, start to finish. From the wonderfully understated opening credits (a rarity these days — nothing but the title of the film is shown) and spooky opening sequence to set up the story, right through to the end credits, I was grinning all the way through.
One of the things I was very pleasantly surprised to find was that in contrast to the ride itself, which has been toned down over the years due (in one sequence, lusty pirates chasing nubile young women are now hungry pirates chasing women carrying plates of food), the movie didn’t flinch at all from innuendo, violence, and flat-out pirate fun. Swashbuckling swordfights, cursed treasure, cannon fire on the open seas, plunging necklines, it’s all there — and, of course, what would a pirate movie be without someone walking the plank?
The plot, while bearing little overt resemblance to the classic theme park ride, works well as a way to create an enjoyable movie while allowing the filmmakers plenty of opportunities to slip in references to memorable scenes in the original ride. Wench chasing abounds as the pirates sail in and invade the port, cannonballs flying and swords slashing, as other pirates locked in a cell vainly try to coax the keys from a pooch sitting just out of reach.
Depp’s portrayal of Cap’n Jack Sparrow was an absolute treat, as was Geoffrey Rush’s Barbossa, commanding the pirate galleon The Black Pearl itself. While I didn’t think Orlando Bloom as Will Turner particularly stood out, he definitely didn’t do a bad job, and Keira Knightley did a fine job as Elizabeth Swann (and she’s not bad eye candy, either!). I was also pleasantly surprised to see Jonathan Pryce pop up as Elizabeth’s father, Gov. Swann — I’ve enjoyed seeing him in things since I first noticed him in Brazil and Something Wicked This Way Comes.
The effects were, as far as I’m concerned, near-perfect. The cursed pirates, who appear normal unless seen in direct moonlight, when they appear as rotted skeletons, were simply amazing to see. Shots where the characters walked from shadow to moonlight and back into shadow, alternately concealing and revealing their true forms, were flawless. Even in the most trying of sequences — during a furious swordfight, running and leaping all over the screen, moving in and out of moonlight — it looked dead-on. Excellent work.
And the fights! Finally, I got a movie that addressed one of my main complaints about most modern fight sequences: that they’re too fast and cut too choppily to be of any real interest whatsoever. I never ended up grumbling to myself that I couldn’t tell what was going on during the movie, and the staging and coreography were equally impressive. Easily my favorite fight happens early in the film, as Jack Sparrow blunders into Will Turner’s smithy. Both Depp and Bloom obviously have fun with the sequence, and while there are definitely moments that defy credibility, none of them stretch it to the point of breaking. This may very well be my favorite swordfight since the fight between Inigo and The Man in Black in The Princess Bride — high praise indeed!
All in all, an absolute thrill ride of a movie. Highly recommended indeed.