Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp) is out to get revenge on Captain Barbossa (Rush). Barbossa had lead a mutiny aboard the Black Pearl, Sparrow's pirate ship, leaving Jack stranded on a deserted island. Barbossa and his crew then stumbled upon an ancient curse, which turned them into the living dead. The curse will be lifted when all the pieces of gold they had previously stolen are returned to the original chest. By day the Black Pearl's crew are normal human beings but the moonlight turns them into unsightly skeletons. The visual effects of them transforming from humans to skeletons and vice versa is one of the best ingredients in the movie. One thing that should be mentioned is that since they are already dead, they cannot be killed. What didn't make sense is that there were many fight scenes between the Black Pearl crew and the Royal Navy. Wouldn't the skeletons end up winning in the end because the Royal Navy would run out of energy or eventually become outnumbered?
There is also a side plot in the movie. In addition to stealing the Black Pearl, Barbossa and his crew have also kidnapped Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley of Bend It Like Beckham), thinking that it's her blood in addition to the returning of the gold that will completely remove them from the curse. Swann is daughter of Port Royal's well-to-do Governer Weatherby Swann (Jonathan Pryce). Elizabeth's true love, a measly blacksmith Will Turner, (Bloom), sets out on a mission to save the damsel in distress. He asks Sparrow to accompany him and the pair attempt to kill their two birds with one stone.
To complicate things further, Sparrow and Turner are being chased by Governor Swann and Commodore Norrington (Davenport), Elizabeth's stuck up fianc�. The Commodore will be damned if Turner gets to Elizabeth first. What's to follow is a countless number of inane and repetitive sword fights. The first few were interesting with swords clashing and Sparrow barely escaping death at every swing and blow but they just seemed to drag on forever.
Although the movie was cluttered with too many battle scenes there were parts of the film that were amusing. Depp with his heavy eyeliner and drag queen saunter was perfect for the part of Sparrow. Halfway through the film we learned from the crew's conversation that Sparrow is a little loopy because he soaked up too much sun when he was stranded on the island. Jack is definitely not the conventional pirate. He carries a broken
compass that won't face north and a sword that is so dull it could never save his life if he depended on it.
Knightly should have been played by someone more enchanting however. She was hardly worth pursuing and didn't seem captivating enough to fit the role. However she was up to par as far as the acting went. Overall the movie was original and lighthearted but again, it would have been better if they cut out half of the fight scenes. |
