143 Mins
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writers: Ted Elliott (screen story), Terry Rossio (screen story)
Stars: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
Storyline: “Blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate “Captain” Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor’s daughter, from Jack’s former pirate allies, who are now undead.” IMDB
Disposition
Pirates of the Caribbean!! I have so many fond memories of this and the subsequent films. Each film has multiple “classic” scenes and Johnny Depp absolutely immortalizes Jack Sparrow. Kids have obsession’s and one of my fondest memories is of my eldest boys obsession with this film and all things pirates. In fact he bought himself the Black Pearl after a night at the “dogs” with me. He picked the winning greyhounds and came away with a princely 50 pounds. I’ve seen this movie so much that I’m just excited to watch it again, no preconceptions just waiting for my favorite scenes.
I have not seen this movie in so long! I loved it when it first came out, and the Pirates of the Caribbean ride is still one of my favorites at Disney. Johnny Depp is brilliant in this film, and while I love his characters in so many movies I will always think of “Captain Jack Sparrow” as one of my all time favorites.
Set The Scene
Sat on the sofa with American Girl.
The Final Cut
Well this film definitely makes my list of favorites, I’ve watched it with all of the kids over the years and definitely have my favorite scenes and “stuff” to look forward to. My absolute favorite scene in this movie is the introduction of Jack Sparrow, outwardly flawed and an absolute disaster but he always has a plan in the end and it works out. I’ve managed to find the clip below:
This is Disney at its best, the right amount of humor, peril and storyline. You root for all of the characters even if its contradictory, often Sparrow is an ass but manages to redeem himself (is this his plan all along?).
Totally agree that this is one of the best scenes, but I also love Keira Knightly so I have to pick when her and Jack are stuck on a deserted island and find the rum! I love the dynamic between Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swan throughout the films, and this scene really cemented it for me.
Its not often that I have mentioned the music in these reviews but Hans Zimmer and Klaus Bedalts score is brilliant, to such an extent that the tracks “The Black Pearl” and “He’s a Pirate” made our family most played list for the car, quite an accomplishment. These tracks instantly bring a smile to my face.
Ok, I know the music is amazing, but can we just talk about the sets, costumes, and make-up?! I love all of Keira Knightly’s dresses. No wonder this movie is a hit! Strong male and female leads, there is something for everyone to like. And Disney of course takes this brilliance and expands their Pirates ride to depict Jack Sparrow, which they got spot on!
Johnny Depp has immortalized the persona of Jack Sparrow to such a degree that I could never see another actor ever taking the role (why reboot a classic such as this?). Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley were also inspired choices especially as both were relatively unknown at the time, not the box office megastars they are now (this film can take some of the credit for making that happen).
I have to admit that watching Pirates this time around made me a little sad because of the current legal issues effecting Johnny Depp. I feel it puts a shadow over the series and his work as an actor. I know that he has already been removed from upcoming work, and it is a shame that he behaved personally in such a bad way to undermine the legacy which he had created. Despite Depp’s personal transgressions, the movie still deserves a spot on the list (and to become a classic). Jerry Bruckheimer, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly, and the work of everyone else involved have just as much to do with this movie as Depp; so their work should never be diminished.
I just love this film so much, its definitely on my personal list and in my opinion should be a lot higher on the IMDB one, I think my sentimentality is probably getting the better of me but then again isn’t that what a movie is supposed to do? Traverse all emotions and invoke happy memories.
IMDB Top 250 Films 