Review
Review Date: 13-July-03
Spoiler Rating: Medium
Juju Judgment: Juicy
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
I always say that I don't do Disney movies, by which I mean the formulaic animated films the Mouse churns out every year with predictable heartwarming stories, comic-relief sidekicks, and drippy songs by aging '80s pop stars angling for an Oscar. I've never seen "Beauty and the Beast" or "The Lion King" or "Pocahontas" --- none of them --- and I'm rather proud of it. So, imagine my surprise when I went to see "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and realized that I was not only watching a quintessential Disney movie (based on a Disney theme park ride, no less), but actually enjoying it. This film won't send me scrambling for the DVD of "Mulan," but I have to admit that, when paired with live actors and a non-pandering soundtrack, the old, predictable formula can really work.
"Pirates of the Caribbean" tells the tale of a brave, noble-hearted, and adventurous youth (an orphan, of course) named Will Turner, who ekes out a modest life as a blacksmith's apprentice in a British colony in the West Indies. Ever since he was pulled out of the ocean eight years earlier, Will has loved the beautiful (and equally brave and noble) Elizabeth Swann, whom he deems unobtainable because she is the governor's daughter and is courted by an up-and-coming British officer. However, when Elizabeth is kidnapped and taken away on a mysterious ship called the Black Pearl, only Will has the determination and courage to pursue her. He is aided in his quest by a free-lance pirate named Jack Sparrow, who has his own motive for going after the ship (and appears to be a few inches short of a yardarm, if you get my drift). Thereafter Elizabeth, Will, and Jack become embroiled in the high seas adventure surrounding the Black Pearl and her ghostly crew, led by the legendary villain, Captain Barbossa.
The biggest thing that "Pirates" has going for it is a stellar cast, all of whom really sink their often brownish teeth into the roles (and why not? It looks like a hoot). Johnny Depp hams it up as Jack Sparrow as only a consummate actor can, which is to say, absolutely divinely. This guy is weird, fascinating, funny, and not a little sexy. Geoffrey Rush gives the creepy Barbossa a touch of poignancy, and Keira Knightley (hot off her "Bend It Like Beckham" triumph) holds her own among the scurvy knaves, making Elizabeth a fetching Disney heroine without the saccharine nature and perfect, perpetual cleavage (though she does manage a number of fabulous costume changes despite running around on ships and islands for the whole film). And while Depp is the nominal star of the show (and probably the most memorable), Orlando Bloom is the central hero as Will Turner, and, well, I hope you will still respect me when I call him "dreamy," for no other adjective will suffice.
In addition to the cast, the other delight of the film is its lavish, fantastical pirate world, which is formed out of unoriginal but well mounted settings and costumes, and a handful of cool special effects. Disney's Caribbean is a place where the moon is always full, the sea is always stormy, and men are always mad with the lust for rum and gold, and it's a lot of fun to go there. The ships and secret pirate coves are satisfying to behold, as are a couple of nifty sequences in which the cursed mates of the Black Pearl fight in and out of the moonlight, alternating between their living human and ghostly skeletal forms.
In true Disney fashion, "Pirates of the Caribbean" offers whispered hints of the dark side of its subject (rape, murder, desperation) and occasionally threatens to produce a moral (what makes life worth living, what defines a truly good man), but it never veers too far from kiddie-suitable fare or its primary goal: rousing, brainless entertainment for the masses. (I might also mention that the studio just couldn't refrain from having not one but two pairs of comic doofuses, one for each side of the conflict. But at least pirates in dresses are better than singing candlesticks or warthogs.) Most of the summer's other blockbuster action films have had some higher pretension --- the exploration of bigotry, injustice, pseudo-religious destiny, or girl power --- but this movie doesn't have much to say other than, Gosh, storybook pirates and ghosts are kinda cool, and Gee, it's fun to root for beautiful, plucky young heroes and heroines. And I say Hakuna Matata to that.
Copyright © 2003 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.
