"It's a movie based on a Disneyland ride."

That's a pitch that didn't warrant a lot of confidence back before July of 2003. Sure it had Johnny Depp. Sure it was a big summer spectacle that promised awesome special effects. But it was *based* on a *Disneyland ride*.

The screenwriting community I used to belong to back then expected it to bomb with as big of a splash as it was expected to be released.

But screenwriters are typically snobs when it comes to movies; and I - not so apologetically commercially minded - still held out hope, simply based on the strength of the trailer.

It hinted at being a true summer blockbuster; with humor and action galore.

Plus it had Johnny Depp. He was, arguably, the most underrated actor back in 2003. I enjoyed almost everything he had done up until then, so if he had faith in the project so did I.

I think both Johnny and I were surprised by how right we were.

The story starts out with our protagonist, a young Elizabeth Swann. We see hints of her adventurous spirit when she admits to her shocked father, the Governor (Jonathyn Price), that she thinks it would be rather exciting to see a honest to goodness Pirate.

Decisive Norrington (Jack Davenport) informs her promptly that if they were to come across a pirate, he'd face "a short drop and a sudden stop".

Enter young Will Turner, floating unconscious on a raft, the victim of a pirate ship attack. Elizabeth finds a mysterious medallion around this boy's neck and decides he must himself be a pirate. She takes the medallion and hides it, along with this strange boy's secret, in effort to protect him.

Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) wakes, eight years older. She still has the medallion - and her adventurous spirit - and an affection for Will (Orlando Bloom). Unfortunately for her, Will sees her as an unattainable treasure.

Norrington, now a Commodore, has no such reticence, and instead proposes to Elizabeth. But that's only the start of what would be a memorable ceremony; as we are introduced quite memorably to one of the most distinctive characters to ever grace a movie screen.

Captain Jack Sparrow.

Believe it or not, most of who you know Captain Jack to be wasn't on the page of this well written screenplay. Most of the character you can attribute to the brilliance and shrewd creativity of Johnny Depp. With the swell of the music scored by Klaus Bedelt, Captain Jack hits Port Royal like a swell of a tidal wave; changing the landscape from the moment his face graces the screen.

Add to this entertaining group Captain Barbosa (Geoffrey Rush) and quite literally a skeleton crew, and you have a summer flick that puts the fun back into the movie experience. It's got comedy, action, romance and ghosts. What's not to love?

Jerry Bruckheimer, producer of such blockbusters as Bad Boys, Beverly Hills Cop among others, entrusts this project quite rightly to director Gore Verbinski. Together they take the blueprint provided by Oscar winning screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio (Shrek, Mask of Zorro) and bring to life unforgettable characters, quotable dialogue and an adventure that will "blow you out of the water".

Arguably the best of the trilogy, "Curse of the Black Pearl" holds a special place in my heart because it's where we first got to know these characters we loved enough to go back to again and again.

"Now, bring me that horizon...'And really bad eggs', drink up, me hearties, yo ho!" - Captain Jack

A+

Learn more about this author, Ginger Voight.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Movie reviews: Pirates of the Caribbean?
We want to hear your view. Write now!