Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Movie Review 2003

Yes, the film was inspired by the Disney theme park ride but unlike "The Country Bears," this one is a lot of fun, thanks primarily to star Depp. He swashes his buckle with addled glee as pirate captain Jack Sparrow--a cross, Depp said, between Keith Richards and Pepe Le Pew--whose ship, the Black Pearl, has been commandeered by Capt. Barbossa (Rush, having an equally good teeth-gnashing time). Barbossa and his crew are cursed and need a gold medallion, unwittingly held by feisty Governor's daughter Elizabeth (Knightley), to break the spell. This involves kidnapping the girl and a rescue mission led by her true love, blacksmith Will (Bloom), and Sparrow, who has a score to settle. There's a few too many plot twists and extended sword fights but the action and humor keep things moving along with relative ease.

Distribution

Buena Vista Home Entertainment, 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521-1120, Toll-free: 800-723-4763, URL: http://www.bvhe.com

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 134 minutes.
Originally from United States.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Pirates, Period Piece: 17th Century, Rescue Missions, Kidnapped!, Adapted from a Disney Amusement Park Ride, Swashbucklers, Sail Away, Top Grossing Films of 2003

Screenplay

Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio

Cast

Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Pryce, Jack Davenport, Kevin McNally, Zoe Saldana, Treva Etienne, Lee Arenberg, Trevor Goddard, David Bailie, Mackenzie Crook, Isaac C. Singleton, Brye Cooper

Cinematography

Darius Wolski

Director

Gore Verbinski

Music

Klaus Badelt

Other

Lee Orloff, Bob Badami, Craig Wood, Stephen E. Rivkin, Arthur P. Schmidt, Derek R. Hill, Penny Rose, Brian Morris

Producer

Jerry Bruckheimer, Walt Disney Pictures

Awards

British Acad. 2003: Actor (Depp), Makeup; Screen Actors Guild 2003: Actor (Depp).