Pirates Of The Caribbean DVD Review

"PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN - THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL" reviews

DVD

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN - THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2005-10-26 11:18:14

Provider

DVD Review

Invariably modern day pirate flicks haven't exactly sailed the smoothest of seas when it comes to box office bounty - one only has to look at Renny Harlin's disastrous 1995 effort Cutthroat Island for proof of that. But with the likes of Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush aboard, can this voyage from Gore Verbinski really fail?

Quite simply no. Depp plays the enigmatic Captain Jack Sparrow, a charming Keith Richards-a-like pirate who is out for revenge his former First Mate, Barbossa (Rush), who mutinied, stole his beloved ship and stranded Sparrow on a remote desert island. Bloom, meanwhile, is ironsmith Will Turner who, with the help of Capt. Jack, must rescue the Governor's daughter (and the woman he loves) from the grasp of the crew of the Black Pearl and in doing so must face up to their evil curse.

With more swash and buckle than you could wave a Jolly Roger at, it's no surprise that this film was inspired by the Disneyland ride 'cos once it's finished you want to go again.

Depp swaggers throughout with his tongue firmly in cheek and plenty of eye make-up. Comic relief is provided by The Office's Mackenzie Crook in his first big Hollywood role and even Jonathan Pryce gets to hide under an extravagant wig as the local Governor.

Full of action, romance, pillaging, comedy and great special effects (Ray Harryhausen, eat your heart out), Pirates Of The Caribbean is about as close to perfect as a summer blockbuster can get and is a welcome change from all the run-of-the-mill sequels or prequels we have put up with these days.

Extras include an audio commentary from director Gore Verbinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and the film's principle actors and scriptwriters. There's also deleted and alternative scenes and a making of special.