Customer Reviews

Hilarious!
Swashbuckling pirates, cursed baddies, sea battles, sword fighting, danger and a good deal of rum - WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT?!? Johnny Depp's FAB! With a great array of back-stage animators creating the 'cursed' affect, Pirates of the Caribbean is your perfect family film! Plus, it's absolutely hilarious!

Some say this is the best, but I'll leave that to you to decide. But there is one thing I DO know - and that is that after you've watched POTC 1, there's no stopping you until you've seen all three!!!

Brilliant!
As a responsible, mature adult with a certain amount of education...I loved every moment of this film. Fantastic humour, a great cast and a brilliant plot. The perfect film.

The most fun you could have with your clothes on...
As countless people have remarked the success of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (*phew*) came as somewhat of a surprise given its origins as a ride at one of the Disney theme parks. The threat was that it would be a "comedy adventure", and we all know those words side by side normally lead to dire scripts, slapstick violence, and poor acting. Somehow though the whole thing came together wonderfully thanks to a number of factors.

Firstly there's the script. Its a tight beast that maybe could have done with the tiniest bit of trimming but not so much as to be a flaw. Its difficult to imagine how the cast couldn't have had a whale of a time delivering the lines they've been given. The crosses, and double crosses that twist and turn the story are fun to watch (unlike in the later films in the series) and the pace rattles along brilliantly.

Then there's the effects and the battle scenes. Ghostly pirates (and a monkey) make for creepy villains that will excite kids without giving them nightmares. Fantastic sea battles with all cannons blazing (not necessarily with cannonballs) are a treat for the eye, and the swordfights are choreographed to perfection. All this takes place to a thumping, piratey soundtrack. Its impossible to describe a piratey soundtrack but just listen to this one... You'll agree with me I promise.

Then there's the cast. Kiera Knightly spends a movie just having to be gorgeous and pouty and she does so with aplomb, its even forgivable when they have her do other things because she gets back to being gorgeous and pouty quickly enough. Similarly Orlando Bloom is more wooden than a pirate ship's deck but he's being paid to be handsome and dashing and let Johnny Depp get the good lines and he does these things remarkably well. The supporting cast is also top class with Johnathan Pryce and Jack Davenport obviously relishing their roles as the stuffed shirts amongst the anarchy. Special mention has to go to Geoffrey Rush as the mutinous, mangy, tricky and undead Cap'n Barbossa who chews up the scenery with a bout of glorious buccaneer based overacting that is a joy to watch. In any other film it would have been Rush's show but he had to play second fiddle in this one. From the moment we see Captain Jack Sparrow's "grand" entrance he's enthralling to watch. Johnny Depp's demented performance raises laughs and excitement all the way through as he lurches onward stealing all the best lines and boats. If there is a better movie character from this decade than Jack Sparrow I'll be amazed- although if there is it will probably be Johnny Depp that plays him too.

I've watched this movie more times than I remember and I never get bored of it. The plot is stupid enough to allow kids to follow while the script offers plenty for adults to buy into. Its that rarest of things, a blockbuster that succeeds on every level and its just a pity they couldn't maintain that momentum in the sequels.