Pirates of the Caribbean

This is an outrageous - fun to watch - action film. There are good pirates, bad pirates, dead pirates, sensitive pirates, ruthless pirates, funny pirates, pirates who dont know theyre pirates and characters who are not pirates but act like pirates. And there are changeling pirates who switch between these behaviors. Now, to tell the truth, I have stretched my definitions some, to be devious, so youll have to watch the film to find out what I mean.

The bizarre sailing arrival of Captain Jack Sparrow, the first pirate on the scene, sets our expectations for the rest of the wild stuff that happens in this story. There is also a love triangle, or is it a quadrangle? And there is a curse. And there is action lots of action. In fact there is so much action, its hard to track the story line. But there is a story line with plot points or are there two storylines? Well anyway, there are a couple of problems, plenty of crises, a couple of climaxes and a couple of resolutions.

Im leading up to the fact that this story defies analysis, or maybe it ignores analysis and we probably should too. And you should also probably forget about making any moral judgments or invoking any considerations of law and order. Theyre brushed aside in the interest of adventure. So, personally, I just kicked back and enjoyed what todays film technology can do for a fantasy adventure.

Johnny Depp plays Captain Jack Sparrow and this character is probably the most interesting and unusual representation of a pirate I have ever seen. Depp brings wonderful humor with impeccable timing to the role. Depps film career began in 1985, but I first saw him and was impressed by his role in Edward Scissorhands (1990) a tale about tolerance. I was also impressed by his work in Whats Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) and Sleepy Hollow (1999). He is 40 this year.

Goeffrey Rush plays Captain Barbossa. Rush is one of my favorites and I feel his rendition of a traditional pirate rivals Dustin Hoffmans Captain Hook (1991). You know his character is unscrupulous in this role by the look on his face. I first saw him in Shine (1996), then Elizabeth (1998) and Shakespeare in Love (1998) and more recently in Lantana (2000) and Frida (2001).

Orlando Bloom plays Will Turner and he is an actor to watch. He has only had a half dozen film roles. He was in Black Hawk Down (2001) but he made his mark with the role of Legolas in the Lord of the Ring film series.

Keira Knightley plays Elizabeth, the female lead. She is 18 this year and was also in Bend it Like Beckham (2002), which is still in theaters.

One of the film scenes in which the pirates are raiding a village looks remarkably like the Disneyland ride version with manikins. This is one film that Ill most likely watch again when its available on a DVD.

Reviewed July 20, 2003