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Pirates
of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (PG)
(Opens Sept 4) Starring: Director: Here Be Pirates!
After suffering a summer full of movie flops, Pirates of the Caribbean sails in at just the opportune time and rescues us from our misery. Finally, we’ve a welcome change from the junk food that Hollywood has been feeding the audience like a forced diet. The movie may have been inspired by a Disney theme park ride of the same name, but that certainly doesn’t take the sharp edge off this delightfully fun voyage. Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and his vile crew of ruthless pirates on the legendary ship Black Pearl are cursed to be immortal zombies, human shell by day and skeletal form by moonlight, because of their insatiable greed. In order to break the spell, they’ll have to return every single cursed doubloon [treasure coin] found in a mysterious treasure chest, repaid together with the thief’s blood. The pirates are down to the last doubloon now, which happens to be in the safekeeping of a governor’s beautiful daughter, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). Storming into Port Royal, Barbossa and gang abduct the lass. Blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) tries to protect his lady love, but his powerful arrows as Legolas in Lord of The Rings are sadly missing, so he’s hopeless against an entire league of undead cutthroat pirates. So in swaggers Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), who barely made it afloat at the dock of Port Royal, all decked out in bohemian locks, dark eyeliner and glittering gold tooth. This eccentric and cocky pirate agrees to help the lovesick Turner save his “poppet” (as Elizabeth is “affectionately” known to the zombies), yet with every cheeky wink and sly comment, the audience knows Sparrow has something up his sleeve. Director Gore Verbinski, whose previous works include The Mexican and The Ring, has really struck gold this time with Pirates. The sword fights are graceful, albeit a bit too long, and the wonderful creation of CGI effects allows the action between the ghoulish villains and the British military to be very convincing. The witty wordplay between the characters tells us pirates aren’t that humourless after all.
The brilliant casting of this film is one of the key reasons why this movie is a must-watch. Geoffrey Rush pulls off the evil Captain effortlessly, even playing up a tinge of regret when you hear him lament the loss of all pleasures. Keira Knightley gives her best shot as the brave but slightly wilful daughter of a rigid governor, and for a Hollywood newcomer (last seen in Bend it like Beckham), her performance is very commendable. Orlando Bloom, sans elfish ears and beautiful long blonde hair, is endearing as the romantic hero who’ll willingly risk his life for his beloved. However, the real star has to be Johnny Depp in his performance as the scallywag Sparrow, without whom the film might have sunk into oblivion. There's no denying that Depp had all the best lines, but teamed with his mischievous arrogance and charismatic appeal, Captain Sparrow becomes the sole reason for the laughs from the men and the audibly dreamy sighs from the women. Follow Sparrow’s advice, “try not to do anything...stupid”, like missing out on this rare treasure. Rating: The
Official Site
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