Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Bl

It’s fair to say that, when Pirates of the Caribbean was announced, nobody was all that excited about it. For one thing, it was ‘based on the popular Disneyland ride’. For another, pirate movies were notorious for sinking without trace – Cutthroat Island, anyone? So it’s something of a surprise then that Pirates of the Caribbean has surpassed all expectations and turned out to be a fantastically enjoyable actionadventure film – already a huge hit in the States, it’s on course to be the best blockbuster of the summer. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Gore Verbinski (Mouse Hunt, The Ring), Pirates of the Caribbean stars Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. Left for dead after a mutiny by the villainous Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), Sparrow arrives in the town of Port Royal intending to give chase to his ship, The Black Pearl. Unfortunately, the officious Commodore Norrington (Jack Davenport) scuppers his plans by having him arrested as a notorious pirate. When Barbossa’s men attack Port Royal and kidnap the Governor’s beautiful daughter Elizabeth Swann, (Keira Knightley from Bend It Like Beckham), Sparrow joins forces with Elizabeth’s childhood friend, swordsmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and they set off to rescue her, pursued by the Navy. However, they get their timbers shivered when they discover The Curse of the Black Pearl – an enchanted treasure has condemned Barbossa and his men to live for eternity as the undead, meaning that they are, in fact, Zombie Pirates. Pirates of the Caribbean basically delivers everything you could possibly want from a pirate movie: swordfights, romance, plankwalking, ropeswinging, cannons, treasure, parrots, Zombie Pirates, you name it, it's here. Bizarrely, it’s also astonishingly ‘faithful’ to the themepark ride, with each memorable ‘scene’ seamlessly incorporated into the film and several knowing gags thrown in. The acting is excellent. Bloom makes a splendid swashbuckling hero and Knightley is the perfect heroine achingly beautiful, feisty and funny, it's only a shame she doesn't get to do any swordfighting. Rush makes a good, hissable villain without going too wildly over the top and Davenport’s character is a refreshing change from the usual pantomime sneering British villain you’d expect.