The Popkorn Junkie :: Pirates of the Caribbean

      Pirate films are either really good or really bad - there is not much middleground. Examples of good pirate films would be the Steven Spielberg directed "Hook" (the best Peter Pan based film ever created) and the Steven Spielberg produced "The Goonies" (my favorite film, as a child). Examples of bad pirate films would be "Cutthroat Island" (one of the biggest box office flops of all-time), and "Muppet Treasure Island" (Brian Henson must have been drunk when he made this). "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" manages to find the middleground.

      Johnny Depp stars as Captain Jack Sparrow, your traditional unsavory individual with an inflated ego and plenty of dastardly deeds under his belt. He is recruited by a young man, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), to help rescue the governor's daughter Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) from the hands of the evil Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). The hitch -- Barbossa is the leader of a group of pirates who are afflicted with an ancient curse, which leaves them in limbo somewhere between life and death, with moonlight revealing their true, skeletal forms. Enter your typical pirate swashbuckling and other pirate related clichés. They are abound.

      This, believe it or not, is not one for the kiddies, even though it is a Walt Disney production. The film carries a PG-13 rating, and is rather violent at times. Some of the trailers do not give a good indication of the nature of the film, which is why I thought to mention it. If you see the extended trailer, you will know automatically that it might be too scary for the little ones.

      The performances in this film are what separate it from your typical pirate film. For example, in "Hook", you had stellar performances from the entire cast (Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, Maggie Smith). That is also true for this picture. The standout performances come from the two leads -- Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush. Depp has the tendency to make the oddball flicks, but he just looked as if he was having a hell of a lot of fun in this movie. And, Geoffrey Rush can take any character and turn it into a gem, as he did in "Shine", "Les Miserables", "Quills", "The Banger Sisters", and with this picture. Orlando Bloom was also fine, and thoroughly pleasing eye candy. The only disappointing performance came from newcomer Knightley as Elizabeth. Her acting skills are not yet honed.

      Gore Verbinski directed this film, which I find odd, because he went from directing a family film ("Mousehunt"), to directing a full blown horror freak-out fest ("The Ring"), to directing a family/action/horror film (this one). He is all over the map with his choice of projects, and that may be a good thing. If his next piece is a slapstick comedy, he might be the most adventurous director in Hollywood.

      "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" is a fine addition to the pirate movie genre, and a standout there. It is not a flawless movie because it is riddled with clichés (there aren't many more tricks you can do with pirates), but the directing, performances, and overall excitement of the picture are enough to get past those few little bugs. This is highly recommended and a perfect addition to the summer film season.

-- Billy Ray ( 3 out of 4 pops )

Talk about this film with other Popkorn Junkies

Other Junkie's opinions.....

James ( 3 1/2 out of 4 pops )

What was this movie rated? Arrrr! Actually no, it's PG-13, but I couldn't resist. Another question: what do you get when you take the director of "The Ring", Gore Verbinski and a movie about pirates staring Geoffrey Rush and Johnny Depp? A unpredictable, well directed, and acted film. Then add "newcomer" Orlando Bloom ("Lord of the Rings"), and you've got excitement. Kiera Knightley ("Bend it like Beckham") does a good job too. Nobody is over the top, but the movie isn't the horror film like "The Ring" was, instead it's an adventure/comedy. I did have some problems with it though. First, nobody really seems like walking, talking skeletons are abnormal. Yeah, just go ahead and fight them, like they're real. Oh well, that's not a biggie. The next qualm is. The last 15-20 minutes is totally unnecessary. Killing the main bad guy is when the plot is supposed to end. C'mon, I had to pee very badly. There's no need to for the last 15 minutes. In other words, I liked it. The dialogue has a nice tangy wit to it and the special effects (the skeletons, etc) are totally seamless, and very cool. See this on the big screen.

Matt ( 3 out of 4 pops )

A fun movie with good performances, lots of action and some delightful comic moments. Johnny Depp seems right at home with his quirky character. Geoffrey Rush makes a nice villain. Orlando Bloom makes a nice hero. The only problem is the movie goes on a bit too long, and each scene could've used trimming.