Loosely inspired by the a Disney theme-park ride, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL is a swashbuckling high-seas tale directed by Gore Verbinski. When camp Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), an eccentric rogue, arrives at Port Royal, he barely avoids going down with his ship. Soon enough, he's in the market for a new one, but not before he saves the life of Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), the beautiful daughter of the governor (Jonathan Pryce). This act of bravery sets into motion a sweeping adventure involving Elizabeth's childhood friend, blacksmith Will Turner (Orlando Bloom); a mysterious medallion; and a legendary pirate ship, the Black Pearl. The Pearl's mottled Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) wants Elizabeth's doubloon necklace, and when she's kidnapped by the ol' salty dog and his crew, Sparrow and young Will must rescue her and find out the truth behind the ship's curse. Verbinski's PIRATES is a welcome throwback to Hollywood offerings of yesteryear, filled with rope-swinging heroes, crusty villains, treasure hoards, swift swordplay, and even wittier wordplay. Screenwriters Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott have crafted one of the most clever action-movie scripts in many moons, and this gives the filmmakers and cast (especially Depp) plenty of room to cut loose. Although the skeletal pirates may be a bit frightening for small children, there's lots of humour to temper the scary moments, making PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL a nearly flawless fun film.

Director:

Gore Verbinski

Duration:

8220

Video Encoding:

16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen

Subtitle languages:

English, English for the hearing impaired, German, Italian

Audio Encoding:

Dolby Digital

Colour format:

Colour

Zone:

Region B

Video Format:

Widescreen

Keywords:

Action;Adventure;Black;Caribbean;Curse;General;Pearl;Pirates

Rating:

12

...Depp swans through this swashbuckler with a scene-stealing gusto unseen since Marlon Brando in MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY...

Rolling Stone

...A big-budget popcorn movie that delivers what moviegoers hunger for: humor, action, thrills and charismatic characters...

USA Today

..The most satisfying of this summer's blockbusters....Lively, humorous and well-cast...

Sight and Sound

...An often frenetic, colorful and enchanting comic adventure....The dazzling, high-flying silliness is quite an achievement...

New York Times

...Depp casts a spell every bit as powerful as any demonic bullion...

Box Office

...[With] disarming humor, engaging acting and colorful action bursts...

Variety

...It's ornate and breathless...

Entertainment Weekly

...[Depp's] performance is original in every atom...

Chicago Sun-Times