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hile traveling on a ship with her father, young Elizabeth Swann spies an unconscious boy floating toward them on a raft. They soon come upon the wreckage of a merchant ship, which has been suspiciously destroyed by gunpowder. The boy is brought aboard and put in Elizabeth's care while the crew surveys the damage. He awakens briefly to tell her that his name is Will Turner before passing out again. Around his neck, Elizabeth notices a golden medallion on a chain. Fearing that it may indicate a connection with pirates, she pockets the necklace and tells no one of her discovery.
Years later, Elizabeth (Knightley), now a grown woman, still has the medallion hidden away in her dresser drawer. She takes it out one morning to wear to the promotion ceremony of her would-be suitor, Commodore Norrington (Davenport). Her father, the governor of a small Caribbean village called Port Royal, has been subtly urging her to accept his advances, but she is still conflicted about her feelings for Will (Bloom), who has become a blacksmith in the village.
At the ceremony, Elizabeth faints due to a constricting corset she has been made to wear and falls over the side of a rampart to the sea below. The only onlooker with wits enough to rescue her is a pirate by the name of Captain Jack Sparrow (Depp). When he turns the tables and attempts to use her as a hostage in his attempt to steal a ship from the British fleet, he is captured by Norrington and thrown in jail.
Little does Elizabeth know that the medallion she wears has already summoned a cursed ship called The Black Pearl, led by the fearsome Captain Barbossa (Rush) to Port Royal. That night, a crew of pillaging pirates arrives in search of the gold piece, part of a stolen treasure that they need to return in order to break a terrible curse. When Elizabeth is kidnapped and taken aboard The Black Pearl, a desperate Will enlists the help of Jack to find and rescue her. But salty Jack has motives of his own.
Yo ho ho and a whole lot of fun
There are so many ways that Pirates of the Caribbean could have gone wrong. After Disney's most recent such offering, The Country Bears—an unmitigated disaster that mercifully disappeared from theaters almost upon arrival—it seemed unlikely that the company was inclined to put much effort into its cinematic ride adaptations. Then there was the small matter of the integral pirate theme, which, in the last few years, has signified more often than not that a film was sure to head straight for Davy Jones' locker, metaphorically speaking.
So it comes as a welcome surprise that this film is actually quite good. First and foremost, there is the brilliant casting and performance of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow, who literally steals the show out from under his very capable co-stars. He seems to be having the time of his life as he stumbles and slurs his way from one gag to the next, always hovering near the top, but never quite going over it.
As good as Depp is, the rest of the cast is almost an embarrassment of riches. Bloom is as handsome a leading man as they come, and does an admirable job with the less challenging role of the romantic hero. Knightley is simply radiant and utterly believable when Elizabeth refuses to be a damsel in distress and takes matters into her own hands. Of course, Geoffrey Rush gives Depp a run for his money as the wily Barbossa. Indeed, their scenes together are among the best in the film.
But as it's been proven in the past, a stellar cast in and of itself does not make for a stellar film. It also has to have a good story, an element often lacking in today's blockbuster special-effects extravaganzas. Fortunately, Pirates of the Caribbean has a story that's intriguing, if a bit difficult to follow the first time through. In retrospect, it shouldn't be all that surprising that Elliott and Rossio, who also wrote the clever and enjoyable Shrek, have scripted a film that's as funny as it is fun. Director Verbinski strikes the perfect balance of tone as well. The film is lighthearted without being campy, and serious when it needs to be. The PG-13 rating is somewhat surprising, as the material is wholly unobjectionable, but perhaps the realistic-looking skeletons—which transform seamlessly into flesh in one of the film's cooler effects—might be a little too much for young children.
Fans of the original attraction (which include yours truly) will appreciate the little tributes here and there, which fit well within the context of the film. These include more than one on-camera rendition of the theme song and a faithful recreation of a particularly memorable scene from the ride. — Cindy
Also in this issue: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Teen Titans and Stargate SG-1 Season Three DVD
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