Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Pirates are cool right? I think so. And so did Disney in 2003. So much that they decided to create a movie based off of a... theme park ride?

Its been many years since I've been to Disney World and I'm pretty sure its been even longer since I rode the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World. I'm not even totally sure who thought up that ride and I know for a fact that he didn't think there would ever be a movie made out of it. But here we are 13 years later (wow doesn't that make you feel old). There have been four of these movies and there is definitely a fifth one on the way.

Now there's a lot to talk about when it comes to the sequels of Pirates of the Caribbean but the more important part to talk about right now is where it all began. Its all about going back to 2003. And talking about Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

The Curse of the Black Pearl, begins with the introduction of the three main characters. Elizabeth Swan (played by Kierra Knightley) the daughter of a governor of a small British colony in the Caribbean. It also introduces the character of Will Turner (played by Orlando Bloom, who looks young as hell in this movie, again, I feel old). Will is the apprentice of a blacksmith who was rescued by Elizabeth and her father when he was a child when he washed up by their boat mysteriously.

And finally you are introduced to the star, Captain Jack Sparrow. (played iconically by Johnny Depp).

This of course was the role that put Johnny Depp on the map. If I recall correctly, he was a pretty established actor but this is the role that made him a household name. And I get it. He was hilarious. It was the kind of role that just set him apart from anything else. And he was one hundred percent committed to it was the other thing. He walked like he was drunk, he talked in a funny voice. He had all the quips and one liners. Overall, it just felt new. Hands down, Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow was the best part of this movie, that's not really something I think anybody would argue against.

Again we can talk about the long term effect of this character and how it may or may not have gotten old... really quick. But I will say, for the time it was hilarious and I do think it does hold up today.

When they were younger, Elizabeth took a mysterious medallion that Will had around his neck. This medallion becomes very important to the story, especially when a band of pirates attack their little town and abduct Elizabeth.

Its at this point that Will Turner goes on a journey to save Elizabeth. He recruits Captain Jack Sparrow who seems to have a prior knowledge of these pirates who attacked the town.

And the rest is a swashbuckling journey filled with sword fighting, betrayal, romance, and a mysterious curse.

Geoffrey Rush plays Captain Barbossa the captain of the infamous Black Pearl, a mysterious pirate ship that seems to only be something of legend. And I think that this is a role that often gets overlooked, obviously because it wasn't as ground breaking as Depps. But at the same time, there's a reason he gets brought back in later films, because he is really a blood thirsty villain who is actually a lot of fun to watch.

There's just so much about this movie that was so inspired and just right. Yeah, Orlando Bloom and Kierra Knightley are a little bit of the wooden main romantic leads but their perfect foils to Sparrow and Barbossa. And everyone in the cast takes this movie perfectly seriously. Again its really amazing to think that this movie was based off of a theme park ride, probably the most uninspired cash grab you could think of and now, most people associate the brand Pirates of the Caribbean with the movies rather than the ride.

Now I think a criticism that you might be able to pull out of this film is that its pretty formulaic and a little bit archaic in regards to its story. I mean it is basically your standard adventure story with a damsel in distress, a heroic lead and his comedic companion.

The funny part about this movie is that despite the fact that everyone takes it seriously and everyone plays along with the story pretty perfectly, the movie is a little bit self aware. Orlando Bloom and Kierra Knightley are both incredibly serious and again they create that good foil for the pirates who have great comedic moments and make it more of a fun adventure film rather than a scary thriller or a drama. This movie doesn't work without Johnny Depp or the funny pirates.

But furthermore, this movie isn't just a comedic adventure. Its a little spooky, its got some drama, and its mystical. Its just a lot of fun and I don't really know what else I can review.

Now... what I can talk about is the effect this movie had on the movie world.

Most namely, the sequels.

Now I think that I will probably do a review of the sequels to Curse of the Black Pearl in the near future, so I won't talk too much about how I feel about them until I've gotten a refresher. However, I do know that this is a franchise that doesn't seem to die.

For as much money as the first movie made, it makes perfect sense to make a sequel and when those were successful, it made sense to keep on making sequels and make a sort of franchise out of it. Continuous adventures of Jack Sparrow sailing on the seven seas.

The problem is, they really drove this character into the ground. And it wasn't just Depp's performances in this movie, the whole quirky comedic character he played in Pirates became his schtick for years to come. All his characters suddenly became Jack Sparrow. And I know Johnny Depp can act. He's done it before in movies like Blow and other stuff. But for some reason he just keeps on playing the same characters over and over again and it all began with this movie.

Does it take away from the fact that this movie is a really fun and entertaining movie? No. This is the movie that started it all and this is a fun swashbuckling adventure really worth celebrating. I'm just saying it gave birth to a franchise that just doesn't seem to want to die. The fifth installment, Dead Man Tell No Tale is set to be released in 2017 and I really can't think of anybody who is excited for that movie. I'll explain in future reviews if/when I review the sequels.

But overall, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a really great adventure. Its really hard to find anything not to like about this film. And its definitely worth checking out, even if it gives birth to a franchise I think we might have gotten tired of already.

But those are my thoughts on the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. What do you think? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @cmhaugen24 as well as requests for movies I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter you can get updates on future movie news and reviews as well as live tweets from movies I watch at home.

I'll leave you with this. I don't think I really gave this movie all the credit it deserves and I don't think I truly gave a full idea of where this franchise heads, I know for a fact I didn't hit everything. But this honest trailer hits it on the head perfectly. However, I can't post that... so here's a bit of him talking about his performance in Black Mass, a movie I never got around to seeing but am interested in because it actually seems like a role Johnny Depp should be playing. Enjoy!