A BETTER RIDE

A Film Review of "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"

Copyright 2003 Glenn Walker

My favorite part of Disney World is the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It's not that scary. It doesn't have a lot of drops. It's amusing and astounding. It's air-conditioned, and if you've ever been to Disney World you know just how important that can be. The ride is pleasant, it's just right. The movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is all that and more.

It has updated the pirate movie genre for the 21st century. It's got everything a swashbuckler fan could want; action, adventure, romance, humor, horror and suspense. While it must be said this is as much a horror film as a pirate film with special effects elevating CGI undead to a new level (the scenes where the pirates pass through moonlight and cross from life to death are spellbinding) this is also one of the best adventure flicks I've seen in a long time.

All the little in-jokes referencing the Disney amusement ride including the song "(Yo Ho Yo Ho) A Pirate's Life for Me" and the Mickey Mouse in the clouds at the climax are great fun and a cute wink for Disney fans.

Johnny Depp is brilliant as Captain Jack Sparrow who he said was patterned after Keith Richards and Pepe Le Pew but to me looks more like a cross between a drunken pirate and a drag queen. Geoffrey Rush continues a winning streak of playing villains as the terrifying undead pirate leader Barbossa. Orlando Bloom of the Lord of the Rings films and Kiera Knightley of Bend It Like Beckham also do admirable work in their roles.

The one at Disney World is good but Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a better ride.