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Pirate Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) leads
blacksmith William Turner (Orlando Bloom) on a funny
adventure in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of
the Black Pearl.
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Johnny Depp once told an interviewer, "I'm not Blockbuster Boy," so we're lucky he changed his mind to star in the high-spirited adventure Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.
Anyone who questions Depp's decision to play comical pirate Capt. Jack Sparrow needs only watch his laugh-out-loud performance to be convinced. Depp jumps headfirst into Pirates of the Caribbean with a loose, funny, freewheeling performance. He's the childhood spirit at the heart of director Gore Verbinski's likable film, one of the truly great surprises of the summer movie season.
Depp excels as Sparrow because he has the charismatic gusto necessary to bring the character to life. Depp might take his acting seriously, but he also knows how to have fun with a part.
Earlier this summer, master director Ang Lee tackled the comic book adventure, The Hulk, and the result is a movie too intellectual for its own good. Depp aims for a loose, carefree performance with Pirates of the Caribbean. He understands the type of self-effacing character the film requires. As a result, Sparrow is the most buoyant movie hero this summer.
Pirates of the Caribbean is based on a Disneyland ride, but you wouldn't guess that from its fast-paced, rollicking story written by Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio.
In the film, Sparrow is after Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), the pirate thief who stole his ship, The Black Pearl, and left him marooned on an island. Sparrow's search turns complicated after Barbossa kidnaps a British governor's pretty daughter, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), in order to retrieve a precious gold medallion. Sparrow teams up with a local blacksmith, William Turner (Orlando Bloom), to save Elizabeth. Complicating matters is the fact that Barbossa and his crew are cursed pirates, ones who turn into skeletons under a full moon.
Verbinski has made a classic swashbuckler with Pirates of the Caribbean, and it arrives just in time to save what was quickly becoming a dull summer. Verbinski might be better known for his last film, an adaptation of Hideo Nakata's ghost thriller The Ring, but Pirates of the Caribbean -- as good as any of the classic pirate movies like Captain Blood or Crimson Pirate -- is the better effort.
Verbinksi stuffs the film with throwback effects featuring large ships, period costumes and acrobatic swordfights. Pirates of the Caribbean shares some of the screwball charms from Verbinski's first feature, the slapstick comedy Mouse Hunt, but excels thanks to its solid, old-fashioned story and many surprises. The frequent laughs in Pirates of the Caribbean make sense once you realize writers Elliott and Rossio also scripted the animated comedy, Shrek.
Veteran producer Jerry Bruckheimer, the man responsible for disposable fluff like Coyote Ugly and Enemy of the State, as well as awful epics like Pearl Harbor and Armageddon, also produced Pirates of the Caribbean, and it's his best popcorn movie since The Rock. Unlike many summertime blockbusters, Pirates of the Caribbean has a credible story with a distinct beginning, middle and end. Its characters are believable and utterly engaging, so much so that we forgive their glib dialogue.
Jonathan Pryce appears to be enjoying himself as the foppish governor whose young daughter is kidnapped by Barbossa. Geoffrey Rush boosts the energy of the movie every time he appears as the ruthless leader of the grungiest pack of pirates you'll ever see.
Dressed in lacey skirts, Keira Knightley looks nothing like her tomboy soccer player from the recent art-house hit, Bend It Like Beckham, but her Elizabeth possesses the same spark and charisma as her Beckham performance.
Orlando Bloom, best known for his role as a heroic Elf in The Lord of the Rings films, sports a thin Errol Flynn-inspired mustache as William Turner, the town blacksmith who secretly loves Elizabeth. Bloom enjoys some of the film's best action sequences, especially an introductory swordfight with Swallow, and he rises to the task.
All of the best laughs, scares and action stunts revolve around Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean, and it's impossible to imagine anyone else other than Depp as Sparrow. He even utters "Yo ho ho," with credibility.
Depp has tackled dark dramas lately, From Hell, about Jack the Ripper, and Blow, a sprawling drama about a cocaine dealer. He plays dress-up well, as shown in his Tim Burton films: Ed Wood, playing the '50s B-movie director; Sleepy Hollow, as Ichabod Crane and Edward Scissorhands, as a kind-hearted monster who sports blades instead of fingers.
Depp is one of the best chameleon actors around. If there is a past role that connects to the lovable Sparrow, it's probably his blowsy womanizer from Don Juan de Marco.
Depp challenges himself with Pirates of the Caribbean by being confidently funny. He's also having a great time doing it, poking fun at his pretty face by smearing it with mascara, mangy hair, a fuzzy mustache and an unkempt beard. Depp makes Sparrow a physical mess, which is exactly how you expect him to look.
Great actors like Depp can star in popcorn movies like Pirates of the Caribbean. In fact, when they do, something memorable often happens. Pirates of the Caribbean is a popcorn movie in the best possible way, and we have "blockbuster" Depp to thank for it.
CityBeat grade: A.
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