Pirates of the Caribbean

Review by Clint Morris

Ahoy Maties! Fancy setting sail on an old-fashioned pirate yarn?

Nah, didn't think so. And one can't blame you for feeling that way. After all, the "Pirate Movie" hasn't exactly been a victorious genre of late [remember Cutthroat Island?] and, secondly, anyone happen to notice the inspiration for the film on hand?

It's based on an attraction at Disneyland...

Yep, ideas are at a real shortage at the moment and they're heading to the House of the Mouse for the latest in film ideas. If you saw the first Disneyland attraction-turned-film, The Country Bears, it's understandable you'd be nervous about seeing another. Don't you hate it when first impressions perceive?

In short, Pirates of the Caribbean is the surprise package of the year - action, adventure, laughs, romance, with Johnny Depp in the most uproarious performance of his illustrious career.

Legendary pirate captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is left to die on an unpopulated island when his ship, the Black Pearl, is stolen by ghostly Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and his troupe of undead sailors.

Attacking Port Royal, Barbossa and his men destroy the town and kidnap the Governor's (Jonathan Pryce) beautiful daughter Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). In order for Barbossa and his men to turn human again, they need to return the good medallion Elizabeth is wearing and spill her blood on hidden treasure.

What Barbossa and his goons weren't counting on was Elizabeth's long-time friend, Will Turner [Orlando Bloom] and his adverse helper protagonist, Jack Sparrow, steaming towards them on another vessel.

I suppose in some respects, you'd have to wonder why such high-calibre actors as Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush would be fronting this.

If it were merely a half-cocked adventure flick, with the promise of only lasting a week or two at the box office, Depp especially, who very rarely does popcorn flicks, would stay away big time.

But now we know why he's done it... The script's fantastic.

Screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio have written a well-formed, multifaceted story with two solid hours of sword-fights, romance, off-the-wall characters and unforgettable accomplishment.

Like an old Saturday Matinee, this is the ultimate 'Leave your brain at the door' and grab a life-jacket style-ride. It's great to actually see for once where the huge budget of a film like this has gone.

The special effects are great, without being overpowering. Anyone that's seen the trailers knows that when Barbossa and his men egress the dark and get exposed to the moonlight they transform into daunting rabid skeletons. The seamless way the filmmakers show the transformation of human to skeleton is great; minimal, yet effective.

Acting wise, Johnny Depp is a revelation. Again proving he's up for anything, the former TV heartthrob cum versatile thesp delivers an incessantly humorous performance as the 'wonky' pirate. From the gestures to the rickety walking style, Depp's got the role down pat - and he's obviously having a great time.

Geoffrey Rush also provides impressive support as the film's main villain. Rush has the tendency to overdo it in flicks like these, but for once he plays it spot on - wacky sure, but not to the point where he starts to resemble a cartoon and not a movie bad-guy.

And in lesser, but no less important parts, Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley carry their roles interestingly and able-bodied. The latter especially, whose quite a knockout on the eyes too. If there had been any slow spots in Pirates, you could easily just sit back and watch the gorgeous Knightley to compensate - she's the most striking princess to ever hit waters.

Something's definitely gone wrong here: Who on Earth honestly thought ripping the characters off a theme park ride and putting them in a movie would be so damn enjoyable? Pirates of the Caribbean is - swallowing my words here - one of the best movies of the year. Jump aboard!

Bring on the [recently announced] sequel.

4 out of 5

Pirates of the Caribbean
Australian release: Thursday September 11th
Cast: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport, Jonathan Pryce.
Director: Gore verbinski.
Website: Click here

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