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Today’s
review is brought to you by the letter ARRRRRRRR.
(Sorry, I couldn’t resist…)
In the past, it was normal for the Disney
Studios to make a film, and then build a
themed attraction based on that film in
one of its parks. This year was a little
different, as Disney made two big-budget
films based on already existing attractions.
2003 saw the release of “The Haunted
Mansion” and “Pirates of the
Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.”
I initially had my doubts that either of
these films would be any good, as I figured
they would be no more that merchandise marketing
vehicles. I can’t speak for “The
Haunted Mansion” as I have yet to
see it, but when I saw “Pirates of
the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”
I was surprised to find that it was one
of the most entertaining films of the year.
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Directed by Gore Verbinski (“The Ring”),
“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of
the Black Pearl” is a cleverly written,
rollicking adventure that puts any pirate movie
in the last 30 years to shame. The decision was
wisely made to take the pirate story to another
level by adding an element of horror to it.
Here we have pirates that also happen to be cursed
to an undead existence, their skeletal-like appearance
only revealed by moonlight. What makes them even
worse, is that they cannot be killed.
There are quite a few things that make this film
work so well. But if I was to pick put any one
element that really brings the movie to life,
it is the performance of its star, Johnny Depp.
As the renowned pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, Depp
creates one of the most wickedly funny characters
of his career. This is saying a lot as Depp has
made a career of playing against type by becoming
some of the most unusual characters in modern
film.
Though there are few who would admit it, Depp
has honestly got to be one of the most talented
and versatile actors working in film, and there
have been many times he has delivered Oscar worthy
performances, only to be overlooked. His Jack
Sparrow is yet another of these in a long line
of fully fleshed out and original characters.
Geoffrey Rush also has much to do with the film’s
appeal, as his Captain Barbosa seems to be the
perfect picture of piracy. His look and demeanor
embody what I’ve always imagined a pirate
captain to be. Orlando Bloom, hot off his stint
as Legolas in “The Lord of the Rings”
saga, also does a great job in the role of the
young sword maker’s apprentice who must
save his lady love (Keira Knightley) from the
evil clutches of Barbosa.
Due to the supernatural nature of the story, it
was necessary for the special effects to be good
in order to sell the movie to audiences. Again,
the filmmakers went beyond my expectations with
effects that were as beautiful as they were frightening.
There are scenes where the cursed pirates move
in and out of the moonlight with lightning speed,
and the transitions between man and skeleton were
flawless.
“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of
the Black Pearl” also turned out to be one
of the most anticipated DVD for me this year.
Disney just couldn’t release it fast enough
for me, and now that it’s here I see that
it was worth the wait. It’s a 2-disc affair
with hours and hours of extra features. If you
can believe it, there are three separate commentaries.
All three are worth a listen, but I think I enjoyed
the one by the writers the most. They had a lost
of inside information on the various directions
the story originally went, and their enthusiasm
for the work shows in their conversation.
I’ve never been much for deleted scenes
since I figure most were cut for a reason, but
for those of you who really like them there are
a total of nineteen. On the side of the features
I really liked were the on set diaries by producer
Jerry Bruckheimer, actor Lee Arenberg (Pintel)
and that of the ship that became the ‘Interceptor’,
the Lady Washington. Bruckheimer’s is more
of a narrated photo montage, while Arenberg’s
is a full-blown video diary. This one was my favorite
as it shows a lot of the cutting up and joking
around that goes on between takes.
There is also a full-length ‘Making of…”
documentary that covers just about every aspect
of the production, as well as several shorter
featurettes that focus in on specific parts of
the film. The best one in my opinion was the ‘Moonlight
Serenade’ Scene Progression that showed
how the skeletal images were created in the computer
and then placed over the actors in the scene.
I also really got a kick out the blooper reel,
though it is far too short.
Once you get through all of these extras, there
is a great ‘Fly on the Set’ feature
that gives you an insider’s look at several
of the scenes as they are being shot. It’s
as of you are there with a video camera and catching
all the rehearsals from different angles.
Being a bit of a history nut, I appreciated the
fact that the DVD gurus decided to include some
background on the real world of pirates, utilizing
film footage from the reel world of pirates. To
make it interesting for kids, it is laid out as
an interactive feature where you navigate around
different parts of a computer generated ship.
When you click on various items, you are taken
to short videos hosted by a historian who fills
you in on some of the details of a pirate’s
life.
Fans of the great man himself, Walt Disney, will
enjoy the 1968 episode of “Walt Disney’s
World of Color” where he takes us on a tour
of many of the original sketches and dioramas
from the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’
attraction.
If you have a computer, the DVD-Rom features are
a lot of fun, too. One of the features allows
you to import a picture of someone and actually
make them look like one of Captain Barbossa’s
undead crew. Might I suggest doing this with your
mother-in-law’s picture… hmmm? Then
there is another featurette on the making of the
original Disneyland attraction, as well as an
opportunity to navigate through 360-degree views
of some of the scenes.
Of course, if this isn’t enough for you,
you can also scan and compare either the storyboards
or the script side by side with the film. This
is a really good feature for wannabe screenwriters
or storyboard artists.
I was going to try and refrain from doing this
but…”I’m tellin’ ya now
ya scaliwags. Ya better swim out right now an’
pick up a copy o’ the “Pirates of
the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”
DVD. It be a veritable treasure trove o’
loot, fit fer a king. O’course I’ll
be needin’ ya to swab those decks afore
ya go. Arrrrrrrrr.”
Directed by: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey
Rush, Keira Knightly
Extras: 19 Deleted And Alternate Scenes, Blooper
Reel, Multiple Audio Commentaries: Gore Verbinski
and Johnny Depp; Jerry Bruckheimer: Keira Knightley
and Jack Davenport; Writers Ted Elliott &
Terri Rossio and Stuart Beattie And Jay Wolpert,
"An Epic At Sea: The Making Of PIRATES",
Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates,
"Fly On The Set" Featurettes, Diary
Of A Pirate, Diary Of A Ship, Producer's Photo
Diary With Jerry Bruckheimer, "Walt Disney's
Wonderful World Of Color", "Moonlight
Serenade" Scene Progression, Image Galleries,
Disneyland Pirates Virtual Reality Viewer, "Moonlight
Becomes Ye" Effects Studio, "Dead Men
Tell No Tales" -- The History Of The Attraction,
Pirates Of The Caribbean Attraction Image Gallery,
ScriptScanner(TM), Storyboard Viewer
Specifications: Widescreen (2.35:1), DTS 5.1 Surround
Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, THX Certified
Studio: Disney
Release Date: 12/2/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For Action Adventure Violence)
Website
We'll give Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse
of the Black Pearl an A.
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