Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

[Tannerman]

So, is anyone planning on seeing Disney's 2nd attempt at making a film out of a theme park attraction (the first was last years flop The Country Bears based on the Country Bear Jamboree attraction). I'm sorta looking forward to this movie, as it doesn't seem like it will suck too much.

Of course, I'm a big fan of the ride, and I know that there will be some references to that stuff in the movie, but I'm keeping my mind open. So far, inital reviews have been somewhat positive.

- Official Website
- TellNoTales.com

[Tannerman]

Well, Amy and I saw Pirates of the Carribean tonight. We usually don't go see movies on opening night, but it was our date night, so we figured why not? Plus the somewhat favorable reviews had us a little hopeful. What follows is spoiler free...

What you know already from the TV commercials and such is this: Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp -- nothing like he was in 21 Jump Street) braves the Caribbean Sea to stop a ship of pirates led by Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) who intend to break an ancient curse... with the blood of Sparrow's beloved Elizabeth Swann (Elizabeth Swann -- she played the queen's decoy in The Phantom Menance... guys will dig her). Oh yeah, and this dude Will Turner (Orlando Bloom -- Legolas from Lord of the Rings... gals will dig him) is in it as well.

In short, this film rocks. It's not perfect. For instance, I give Disney negative points for not having an original idea of their own and having to base a movie on a theme park ride. C'mon... be creative for pete's sake. That said, Disney put out a lot of cash to actually bring in good talent to make this film work.

The main actors... excellent in their parts, especially Depp who steals the show with his humorous take on a pirate. He makes the film lighthearted, much like the theme park ride. I mean, we are talking about pirates who kill and steal things... you have to tone down the evil a little, I guess.

The special effects were done by Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic and are pretty top notch. It's amazing how they were able to make those skeletons come alive.

One unexpected pleasantry was the soundtrack. Being that this film was rated PG-13 and obviously targeted at the younger generation (who was there in full force tonight), I expected pop tunes and such sprinkled throughout the film. I was very happy to find a great orchestral soundtrack done by Klaus Badelt. I'm going to go out and grab this soundtrack. It's good.

Being a Disney theme park fan, there were nice tributes to the ride, including similar scenes and lines of dialogue. The film was inspired by the ride and doesn't share much of the same plot. Then again, the ride intentionally has a very loose storyline... which is probably why it is still extremely popular after 35 years. I just wished they would have used the "Yo Ho" song a little more.

This is yet another Jerry Bruckheimer production... which means very over the top battles and visuals. Some of the fight scenes ran a little long for my tastes. Visually, the cinematography was very good... great lighting and tone. Makes me want to pull out my pirate LEGO sets and start playing... I was inspired. It has a good "pirate-y" look and feel about it. Finally, the writers for this film were some of the same guys who wrote Shrek... they did a good job refining the script.

Finally, if you go to see the film, watch the credits till the end... there is something special waiting for you. Don't drink a lot... the movie runs around 2.5 hours.

[Egg]

I went and saw Pirates of the Carribean last night. I thought it was absolutly awesome. I thought the action and the comedy were both great and balanced very well. I would half to give it 2 thumbs up. What does everyone else think?

[Tannerman]

FernLaplante has posted his spoiler-filled review on his website, JasonsMoviePage.com.

It's the closest thing to being a pirate without actually getting scurvy

Read his take by clicking here!

[mxwp]

I plan on seeing the movie next week sometime... but my post is about the ride Pirates of the Carribean. I remember as a wee lad one of the animatronic scenes was this pirate chasing a saucy wench... it made quite the impression on my young mind. I went to Disneyland more recently, expecting that scene again only to find that it was removed! Instead the pirate was chasing some guy with a giant platter of food.

I am not bashing Disney for doing this, but just thought it was an interesting anecdote.

(Just like Pixar redoing the snow man animated short that plays before Nemo... making the beach doll less... er curvy)

[Tannerman]

Originally posted by mxwp
I went to Disneyland more recently, expecting that scene again only to find that it was removed! Instead the pirate was chasing some guy with a giant platter of food.

I assume you want to Disneyland in CA, where this was a big deal a couple years ago. Yes, Disney responded to critics and made this scene politically correct. They even rerecorded the audio for that portion of the ride using a sound-alike actor. Most fans thought it was stupid.

Now, at Walt Disney World in FL, I believe they've left things pretty normal, but I could be wrong. From what I hear, the CA version of Pirates is tons better than the FL version anyway. But the Paris version is supposidly better than both, as it has audioanamatronic sword fighting!

[Egg]

Originally posted by Tannerman
But the Paris version is supposidly better than both, as it has audioanamatronic sword fighting!

COOL

[Tannerman]

As expected, Disney is going to roll out the DVD for this movie before Christmas. Glad they opted for the 2-disc set:

Buena Vista has revealed that Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl will arrive on DVD on 12/2 as a spiffy 2-disc set (SRP $29.99). Get this... the disc will feature anamorphic widescreen video, Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, audio commentary with director Gore Verbinski and star Johnny Depp, a second commentary with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Keira Knightley, a third commentary with the screenwriters, the Epic at Sea production documentary, deleted scenes, an effects progression reel, trailers, interactive timelines and more.

[Egg]

Sounds AWESOME. .......I know what I want for Christmas.

[Daniel White]

I love the flick!

Where to start......

Amy and I are huge Disney fans--not Disney the company, but Disney the man. What a genious! A great example of a man with a dream and the desire to see his dreams come to fruition. A man filled with love for others who served his constituency and thus became more than just succesful--a man who became an icon and hero to many generations past his own. A man who left a truly great legacy......

We went to Disneyland Aug. last year for our 1 year anniversary. As I love history and great people, we took part in their walking tour called "In Walt's footsteps"--super highly recommended. They spoke in detail about the spirit of the rides themselves and how Walt wanted them to be accesible to both the young and old. The also spoke about the layout of the park--how it was supposed to represent a movie house and give folks the opportunity to escape from the normal world and enter a magical land filled with wonder and adventure.

The reason those things are important to me here in this thread is because Disney actually kept that same spirit alive in this movie. It's easily accesible to young and old, and it takes you entirely into a magical place of adventure and wonder. The time passes so quickly you don't even seem to notice it. You are immersed in the entertainment--just like the rides at Disneyland.

So the spirit stayed true--how about the acting. I'd say the acting was fantastic. Johnny Depp's portrail of a pirate is outrageous. I thought that I wouldn't like it at first, but it more than grew on me by the end of the film. His reasoning behind the role is a little wild--pirates were that centuries rock stars????--but he pulls it off well. Orlando Bloom actully has emotions in this film!!!! The girl is gorgeous and plays her part well, and Barbosa is one of the best film villans I've ever seen.

The cinematgrophy was great as well. I must be a sucker for Jerry Bruckheimer becasue I always seem to love the films he is attached to, and this one is no exception. Wide, expansive, gorgeous, and intimate are all good ways to describe what come across the screen. The pictures envelope you in a fantasy world.

The effects were great--bringing skeletons to life can't be easy, and there were a few times they looked to rigid, but overall the effects supported rather than distracted from the film.

The score was great--haunting yet familiar. Very epic in nature...

The script was well done as well--blending the familiar scenes from the ride with humor, creativity, and class. The movie itself didn't follow the ride's order, which added to the surprise each time a familiar scene took place. There are the very easily recognizable scenes, but also the more obscure references as well. This was our second time to the film, and Amy noticed that one of the prostitute's names was Scarlet--something we didn't catch the first time through. Could this be the red-dressed wench for sale and the lounging picture at the beginning of the ride?

All in all, I would list this movie in my top favorites--which means it's competeing with films like Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Ocean's Eleven, Moulin Rouge, Godsford Park, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Matrix, We Were Soldiers, Lord of the Rings, etc... I can't wait to see how Haunted Mansion turns out.

Ok--I'm posting way too much. Suffice it to say that this film will be under the Christmas tree and I'll be enjying it for years to come.

It's great to see a company that's gone so far astray of the original intentions of the founder return to their origins and celebrate the legacy of a man with a dream.

[Egg]

I loved your response. Very informitive and pretty much what I would say if I could write well at all. I agreed with every point you made.