Rating: Summary: Why go to Disney? Throw this in the DVD and your there!!! Review: Funny, scary, romantic and cunning, this movie is an exact take off of the infamous ride that it is named after. So much like the ride, it seems at parts they just took a camera on it. The battle where the pearl attacks the village is identical to when you ride between boat and shore on the ride. The best is how they even incorporated the dog at the prison.IT WAS GREAT Not only is there not enough stars on Amazon to give this movie its proper rating, there isn't even enough grains of sand to represent the rating on the entire PLANET. Watch it once... Bet ya can't do it
Rating: Summary: Fun, but tiringly long Review: Johnny Depp brings an offbeat spin to his role, as usually. In this case, he seems to be channeling Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones, including the eyeliner and slightly slurred, inebriated speech. Most of the characters are flat and one dimensional- live action cartoons, really. The effects are outstanding, and kudos to Disney for making it creepy without being too visually disturbing for kids. This is the kind of movie that is amusing and entertaining but lacks a significant story arc, so it should have been kept to 80 or 90 minutes long. Therein lies my biggest gripe- this movie drones on for nearly 2 1/2 hours! Sheesh- even if it was rereleased as a "directors cut" with extra scenes restored, this movie should not exceed 1 hour 45 minutes. If they came out with a version about an hour shorter, I'd probably bump my review to from 3 up to 4 stars.
Rating: Summary: QUITE A RIDE, BUT..... Review: One of this year's most talked about and applauded movies, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN is a visual wonder, and has some truly outstanding moments, and some quirky performances. My only problem with it was its length. It seems to sag in the last half, particularly in the scenes involving the blooding of Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom. By this time, I wanted the movie to speed up and get to the resolution. The extended swordfight between Geoffrey Rush and Depp, while a marvel of some fine special FX, seemed trite and anticlimactic. The moonlight transitions were incredibly done, and provided the film's eeriest moments. There were some great comedic relief scenes, and overall the movie is very, very entertaining. Performance wise, yes, Johnny Depp did add some unexpected foppish flare to his role as Jack Sparrow. At times, his transition to a more serious character, as on the island with Knightley, were touching. However, by the time the movie was gearing down, Depp's performance got redundant and tiresome; but Depp proves how diverse an entertainer he can be; his lack of inhibitions in flauncing his role is commendable. Sadly overlooked by many, however, are Jonathan Pryce and Jack Davenport. Pryce plays Knightley's austere father with the usual priggishness, but underneath is a happy man who wants his daughter to be happy, too; Davenport plays Knightley's intended, Commandore Norrington, with a true sense of valor, righteousness, and an unexpected sensitivity and regard for not only his love, but his men. Davenport's is the performance that I feel most Oscar-worthy. Geoffrey Rush overacts; Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom are beautiful, and give solid, if non-sensational, performances. A great movie for entertaining; a point though that sometimes less is more. RECOMMENDED.
Rating: Summary: Pirates Treasure Review: Whenever I found myself on a family vacation at a Disney theme park, one of my favorite attractions, was always Pirates of the Caribbean. When I heard that mega producer Jerry Bruckheimer was going to make a film, based on the ride, I was more than a bit skeptical. It's hard enough sitting through some movies, based on TV shows, Comics, or books, let alone one born out of a ride. How would Brucheimer and director Gore Verbinski pull off the seemingly impossible. Things turned out better than I, or most folks for that matter, figured that they would. Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp)loves living on the high seas as a pirate. His world is turned inside out, when his mortal enemy, Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) steals his ship, later using it to attack the town of Port Royal. During the onslaught, Barbossa decides to kidnap Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), the daughter of the town's Governor. Her childhood friend Will (Orlando Bloom) is determined to save her--he and and Jack team up--to reclaim both the ship and get the girl. A big reason, that the film exceeded my expectations, was due to the inspired performance from Depp. Once again, he proves his versatility, and becomes the character. The role allows him to show off his rare comedic side and he really runs with it. The rest of the cast is up to the challange as well...but clearly having lots of fun in the process. Verbinski fills the screen with plenty of action and great effects, but at no time do these elements overtake this pirate tale. Everything falls into place very nicely. I was a bit surprised by the film's running time though, at 2 hours and 23 minutes, I thought some of the pacing could have been just a tad tighter--just a minor quibble if I may... The folks at Disney and Bruckheimer must have known what they had in the film. The 2 disc DVD set is loaded with some fine extras, for both the technical film buff and the casual viewer. For me, the three audio commentary tracks, are the highlights of the the entire set. The commentary by Verbinski and Star Depp is the most interesting though. Depp seems relaxed and not as one demensional, as I've seen him in the past, doing interviews for his other work. For the second track, actors Keira Knightley And Jack Davenport, have the most fun. Davenport is very witty and keep things light. Recorded separtely and added in on this track are comments from Bruckheimer to balance it out. The final track brings together writers Stuart Beattie, Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio and Jay Wolpert (Wolpert adapted the 2002 version of The Count Of Monte Cristo also recommended) for a look at the writing process. Disc two starts out with a lively 37 minute look behind the scenes called aptly enough "An Epic At Sea: The Making of "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl". I mentioned the film's running time before--so to my surprise there are no less than 19 deleted and alternate scenes that were wisely trimmed or cut altogether.5 addtitional featurettes explore filming and life behind the scences--"Moonlight Saranade" scene progression, "Fly on the Set" looks at some of the specific scences as they were being shot, "Diary of a Pirate" is a behind-the-scenes look with cast member Lee Arenberg (best known for playing a alien Ferengi on the Star Trek spinoffs The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine), a Producer's Diary with Bruckheimer as your guide, and the "Diary of a Ship" Video Journal. Some of these work better than others, in terms of content, but are still worth a look. Next up there is the well researched primer "Below Deck" - An interactive and fun History Of Pirates. An 18 minute segment from January 1968, as part of the TV show "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color", where Walt himself gives us a tour of the ride that inspired the film. It is very cool to have something like this as part of the set. A very extensive still gallery and a 3 minute blooper reelthat works once but not beyond that are here too. Finally, there are some really cool DVD-ROM Features for your PC: "Moonlight Becomes Ye" is an Effects Studio that allows you to create some magic of your own,there's even more history on the ride, a Virtual Reality Viewer, Scriptscanner & Storyboard Viewing Modes. Who knew that a film, based on a ride, could be this much fun and entertaining? Pirates...is recommended with **** and a half stars
Rating: Summary: Astonishing film! Review: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN is surely one incredibly awsome movie! It has a very good and original story, with lots of action and plenty of adventure. Johnny is awsome as Captain Jack Sparrow! Love the accent! Geoffrey does great, as well. In fact, the entire cast does superb, even though I don't particularly care for Orlando. Keira Knightley is absolutely beautiful and does great as Elizabeth Swann. If you haven't seen PIRATES yet, definately check it out! Also, ride the ride down in Disney World in Florida.
Rating: Summary: deserves repeat watching Review: First of all, I'm not a Depp fan. But his performance in this movie is superb. Taking his character's nuances from Keith Richards was a stroke of genius. The cast was well selected and combined their skills with an ensemble appearance. The extras were entertaining as well. Highly recommended! By the way, I was very reticent about even watching it because it was based on a theme park ride. But I was happily surprised.
Rating: Summary: FUN...FUN...FUN Review: This is one of those movies that sit on my all time classics shelf? Fun, Funny, Entertaining... Our family loves it!
Rating: Summary: Excellent movie Review: Johnny Depp brings another quirky character to life. In contrast to reviews I read other places, I believe the rest of the movie stands well by itself (however the performance of Johnny Depp definitely makes it a 5 star instead of a 3)
Rating: Summary: Did You Hear About That New Pirate Movie . . . . Review: It's rated "AAARRRRRR!!!" Hehehe...okay, okay, lame joke, I know. But, uh, this movie is anything BUT lame. And also, it's uh, not rated R either, so that's a plus for the kiddies. I have ALWAYS loved Johnny Depp. I always believed he was a fantastic actor who never got the credit he deserved. Now though, because he starred in this Bruck vehicle, he's a "star." Actually, Johnny's much better than a "movie star," but we'll let Hollywood think what it wants. If the Academy truly gave Oscars to the BEST performances of the year, then Mr. Depp would positively have one for playing Cap'n Jack Sparrow. He gave one of the best and most original performances this year. I highly recommend this film: it's fun, the characters are great, you'll laugh your ass off, and all the while be thinking to yourself . . . but why is the rum gone?
Rating: Summary: Disney's Wild Ride Review: A number of years ago I lived not far from Disneyland in California, and one of my favorite rides was Pirates of the Caribbean. When I first heard that the movie was being made, I had my doubts....most Disney films I had seen just didn't appeal to me. What a pleasant surprise!!! I was stunned by this movie. The acting was superb, all around. There was not one actor who did not do a tremendous job. The special effects went way beyond my expectations, and the music is still going round in my head. As for the DVD, the bonus materials alone are worth the price of the DVD. I especially enjoy the bloopers reel! It is hysterical. I would highly recommend this movie to anyone. "Drink up me hearties, Yo Ho!"
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