Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Composite Score: 81.23
Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport, and Jonathan Pryce
Director: Gore Verbinski
Writers: Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio
Genres: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Comedy
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for action/adventure violence
Box Office: $654.26 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
This is one of the most fun blockbusters of all time. It launched a generation of pirate Halloween costumes across the nation. Its soundtrack is one of the most recognizable scores by composers not named John Williams. It has adventure, swashbuckling, romance, horror, and buddy comedy. Say what you will about the sequels, but they are also among the highest grossing films of all time (and incredibly fun as well). Unless they hate fun, everyone should find something to enjoy in Curse of the Black Pearl. Honestly, if you have not already seen this film, you need to get on it as soon as possible. Find your friend’s Disney+ login and watch it.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
There are some parts of the CGI that do not hold up to modern standards. The skeletal pirates do not look nearly as realistic as they initially looked in 2003. It serves to detract a bit from the otherwise mildly horror elements of the pirate sequences when Elizabeth first discovers the curse and when the pirates are walking through the sea to ambush the British.
The “scary” elements of the movie may be scary for some younger viewers or for people with fear of skeletons or blood.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
The romance between Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner and Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Swann is the true driving force of this film, which allows Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow to shine without becoming annoying. There is an excellent balance of action, romance, and comedy in Pirates that few other films and franchises have even come close to achieving.
The score of Pirates sets the tone of every scene, building excitement, tension, romance, suspense, and emotions in almost every moment. From jaunty to rousing to suspenseful, Klaus Badelt’s score carries the film (and Hans Zimmer’s tweaks carry the sequels).
This iteration of Pirates has everything that you could want from a pirate film. It has the romance between Will and Elizabeth, which grounds the action and comedy, creating stakes for the characters. It has multiple major fencing/swashbuckling duels between Jack and Will and Jack and Barbossa. It has British military and government officials who are equal parts bumbling and capable but doomed to failure portrayed by Jonathan Pryce as the Governor and Jack Davenport as Commodore Norrington. It has an epic sea battle between the Interceptor and the Black Pearl featuring forks and knives being fired from cannons and Jack Sparrow escaping the brig thanks to an empty flask. It has a memorable supporting cast of characters, including the talents of Lee Arenberg as Pintel, Mackenzie Crook as Ragetti, and Zoe Saldana as Anamaria (before her MCU and Star Trek fame).
This film does not miss. Once you’ve seen Curse of the Black Pearl, it will more than likely stay in your rotation forever and be one that you have to watch with friends, family, and alone. It is an annual must-watch for me, and its sequels get some play as well (especially Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End). The iconic score, characters, and setting are a welcome inclusion in the list of 1001 greatest films of all time.
