Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl - A Review 07/21/2003
Yo ho ho, and a bottle of fun - you betcha! Directed by Gore Verbinski (Mouse Hunt, The Mexican, The Ring) and starring
Johnny Depp puts in another memorable, quirky, funny performance as Capt. Jack Swan. This young actor has the ability to leave me smiling no matter what role he is cast in. His interpretation of a "scoundrel" and pirate is deft and immensely enjoyable, especially when played against the other fine performances of Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley (does she remind anyone else of Heather Graham?) and especially Geoffrey Rush's portrayal of Barbossa, the pirate gang leader who had earlier betrayed Jack, took his crew and left him marooned on an island to die.
Visually, this is a beautiful film. Colors are vibrant and full, with scenes ranging from beautiful Carribean daylight vistas, to dark shadow-filled grottos, to a couple of well done underwater shots. There are some stunningly good CGI moments - thanks ILM and Gray Matter FX, and some very nice ship-to-ship battle scenes. Overall this is a high-quality visual feast and should be a marvelous demo-quality DVD (we can only hope)!
Sonically, nothing disappoints. Excellent fidelity, clear dialog and good deep bass at times helps you to immerse yourself in the story. I can't really comment on the surround-channel activity at this time as the theater I was viewing this in had the surrounds turned well down under normal listening levels. I'll be going back for a second viewing (yes, my wife liked this film that much!) and will try another theater in hopes of better performance. More on the surrounds at that time. . . .
Overall, this is a superior summer-time-fun film. No, it's not Citizen Kane, nor did it try to be. The acting is wonderful, over-the-top at times and down-right fun! The script moves right along, not seeming like a 2-hour and 13-minute film. You cheer with the good guys, you hiss at the bad guys and root for the boy to get the girl. The visuals are grand, the sword-fights are skillfully done, and the humor is well thought out and does keep you smiling. What more can you ask for? If you haven't yet seen Pirates Of The Caribbean hustle yourself to the theater before it's gone.
I give Pirates:4: out of :5:.
David - HTGuide flunky
Our "Theater"
Our DVDs on DVD Tracker
Yo ho ho, and a bottle of fun - you betcha! Directed by Gore Verbinski (Mouse Hunt, The Mexican, The Ring) and starring
- Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Sleepy Hollow) as Jack Sparrow
Geoffrey Rush (Shine, Shakespear In Love, The Tailor Of Panama) as Barbossa
Orlando Bloom (Blackhawk Down, Lord Of The Rings, Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers) as Will Turner
Keira Knightley (Bend It Like Beckham, Pure) as Elizabeth Swan
Jack Davenport (Fierce Creatures, The Talented Mr. Ripley) as Commodore Norrington
Jonathon Pryce (Brazil, Ronin, Stigmata) as Governor Swann
Johnny Depp puts in another memorable, quirky, funny performance as Capt. Jack Swan. This young actor has the ability to leave me smiling no matter what role he is cast in. His interpretation of a "scoundrel" and pirate is deft and immensely enjoyable, especially when played against the other fine performances of Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley (does she remind anyone else of Heather Graham?) and especially Geoffrey Rush's portrayal of Barbossa, the pirate gang leader who had earlier betrayed Jack, took his crew and left him marooned on an island to die.
Visually, this is a beautiful film. Colors are vibrant and full, with scenes ranging from beautiful Carribean daylight vistas, to dark shadow-filled grottos, to a couple of well done underwater shots. There are some stunningly good CGI moments - thanks ILM and Gray Matter FX, and some very nice ship-to-ship battle scenes. Overall this is a high-quality visual feast and should be a marvelous demo-quality DVD (we can only hope)!
Sonically, nothing disappoints. Excellent fidelity, clear dialog and good deep bass at times helps you to immerse yourself in the story. I can't really comment on the surround-channel activity at this time as the theater I was viewing this in had the surrounds turned well down under normal listening levels. I'll be going back for a second viewing (yes, my wife liked this film that much!) and will try another theater in hopes of better performance. More on the surrounds at that time. . . .
Overall, this is a superior summer-time-fun film. No, it's not Citizen Kane, nor did it try to be. The acting is wonderful, over-the-top at times and down-right fun! The script moves right along, not seeming like a 2-hour and 13-minute film. You cheer with the good guys, you hiss at the bad guys and root for the boy to get the girl. The visuals are grand, the sword-fights are skillfully done, and the humor is well thought out and does keep you smiling. What more can you ask for? If you haven't yet seen Pirates Of The Caribbean hustle yourself to the theater before it's gone.
I give Pirates:4: out of :5:.
David - HTGuide flunky
Our "Theater"
Our DVDs on DVD Tracker
so 
arty: ) 
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