Retro Flick Review -- "Pirates of the Carribbean I: Curse of the Black Pearl"

Hi Everyone,

I saw "Pirates I" twice when it first came out in theatres three years ago. And I saw it on ABC one night. I should buy me the DVD.

Yo ho-ho and a "Pirates" flick for me.

In this writer's opinion, this is the way a swashbuckling flick ought to be done. Supernatural curses, peg-legs, parrots, hidden treasure, plank-walking, broadsides, sword fights, and romance. Every element we associate with pirates has been thrown in and weaved into an adventure quest plot a la Indiana Jones on the high seas.

Set in the the 17th century, Pirates of the Caribbean is the story of a roguish, handsome, dashing -- and yes, often bumbling -- pirate, Jack Sparrow. Sparrow teams up with a comely young woman (Keira Knightley) and a somewhat effete (to me) guy (Orlando Bloom) to putthe kibosh on the diabolical plans of the undead pirate Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who has stolen Sparrow's beloved vessel, The Black Pearl, and sails it across the Caribbean sea, manned by his motley and also undead crew.

Gore Verbinski's both a top notch and versatile director with a string of eclectic hits from "Mouse Hunt," "The Mexican," and "The Ring." He certainly can pump up viewers. I could taste the salt spray, smell the gunpowder, and feel the swish of blades slicing theair.
Depp, lost himself in the person of... Keith Richards. I thought he was playing Mick Jagger playing Sparrow, but Depp himself has said in interviews that he modeled Jack Sparrow on Richards. It was a risk, but it worked. From the kohl-lined eyes, to the flamboyant togs, tothe accented and muttering speech, to the sweeping and fey mannerisms... it's all there, and yet it's not a parody. Captain Jack Sparrow is a fully realized and unique character, brought to life by one of the best actors working today. Depp's co-stars aren't tooshabby, either. Keira Knightly made memorable what could've been a minor role as the English governor's daughter Elizabeth, drawing us into her plight and making us care about her. The other standout isRush as the monkey-toting, floppy-hat wearing, rotten-toothed Captain Barbossa. Bloom did a respectable job playing Will Turner, Elizabeth's devoted blacksmith lover. He wasn't so out of depth in this role as he was when playing Balien, defender of Jerusalem, in the 2005 flop "Kingdom of Heaven."

And thanks in part to "Shrek" scribes Ted Elliot and TerryRossio, "Pirates I: Curse of the Black Pearl" is a live-action adventure with the spirit and energy of an animated feature. I can only hope that "Pirates II: Dead Man's Chest" will live up to the original, unlike "Legend of Zorro" which was a major come down from "Mask of Zorro."