Rating: 
Summary: Great swashbuckling fun!
Review: This film features everything a good pirate flick should: stormy seas, a spectacular naval battle, a sexy pirate captain (Geena Davis) and buried treasure complete with a treasure map written in latin (the preferred language of pirates). This is one of the few times I've seen Davis in a leading role; normally, she is a supporting actress. She pulls it off quite well, although in a couple of scenes her acting is a bit wooden. Frank Langella stands out as an old-salt, ruthless pirate while Matthew Modine is great as the movie's comic relief. What really makes this movie worth buying, tho, is just how well done it is. The 17th century sets are lavish - you feel as tho you are back in the period in which the movie takes place. The soundtrack is riveting, and I found the sound of the DVD quite excellent. Not sure if they did anything different than they do with other DVDs, but it sure seemed like the audio was a notch above most DVDs - esp in the storm sequence. This is the kind of movie that critics make a living off of by slamming. What does this mean for the rest of us? Why, it means that it's a fun time to be had by all! And may the movie critics goto Davy Jones locker...
Rating: 
Summary: Not as bad as you have heard, but still a pretty bad movie
Review: The most amazing thing about "Cutthroat Island" is that after this film bombed at the boxoffice in 1995, director Renny Harlin and star Geena Davis were allowed to team-up the following year for the vastly superior "The Long Kiss Goodnight." After all, "Cutthroat Island" was in the Guiness Book of World Records as the biggest loss for a movie company of all time (who knows how they really figure such things out). The story follows female pirate captain Morgan Adams (Davis), who enlists the aid of her Harvard-educated "slave," William Shaw (Matthew Modine), to uncover her father's treasure in a race with really bad pirate Daw Brown (Frank Langella). It is really amazing how things just fail to click for the film in scene after scene, and it is not because the Pirate genre has been done to death in recent years. But compare "Cutthroat Island" with "The Long Kiss Goodnight" and see what Harlin and Davis can do when they get things to go right.
Rating: 
Summary: Worst Pirate Movie Ever
Review: They had the special effects, they had the budget for actors but... Geena Davis is not Pirate. Hardly any of the actors pulled off the Pirate look. The dialogue was of the 1990s. The story line was unbeliveable and predictable. There where many gaps that needed a narrator saying: "And then something incredible happened" Mystery Science Theater would have loved this film. Buy or rent Pirate (or Pirates?) with Walter Matthau. He pulled off a great grimey scum of a Pirate.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Fantasy
Review: I was surprised by the quality of the film. Ridiculous plot, but this is a fantasy. Acting is mediocre but entertaining. Photography (Cinematography?) is outstanding. The visual effects are well done & fairly believable. Audio tracks are superb. The cannon fire is intense, the sword clashing crystal clear, explosions rock you if you have a decent stereo. Watched this DVD twice in 2 days. Just for the sound effects the second time. If you're looking for Oscar quality acting - wrong movie! If you're looking for entertaining fantasy with great photography and superb sound effects - here it is.
Rating:
Summary: Really Good
Review: This movie was great and even better on DVD. My family got a DVD system for Christmas and Cutthroat Island, the Edge, and Indiana Jones came with it. It was soo good with the additional sound system and everything. It was incredible and I just do not understand how this didn't make it at the box office. But besides that, it was action packed with great characters and just plain funny, action packed and fantastic. Enjoy this with friends on a Friday night after school. It was worth it!
Rating: 
Summary: Best Sounding DVD Ever?
Review: Forget The Matrix orT2,the soundfield on this disc is the most active I have ever heard.Every speaker is pushed to the very limits,with some of the most meticulously crafted action scenes of all time,and probably the greatest score of the '90's,by John Debney.Like Woo and Cameron,Renny Harlin is one of only a handful of directors who understand action,and in this film we have what I think is his finest hour.As you can guess,I do like the movie.Maybe all of those reviewers who didn't should be browsing the Merchant/Ivory section where they belong,because they have totally missed the point.
Rating:
Summary: Great Pirate Movie, Bad Film
Review: Most pirate movies (Captain Blood, Roman Polanski's Pirates, etc) are forced to exist in a genre by themselves. For the most part, when you compare them with other films, they stink. Their plots are usually outlandish and historically inaccurate, involving much buckling of swash and romantic drivel interspersed with mighty ships exchanging cannonfire and very little substance in between. If that sounds like your idea of a good, simple-minded escapist film, CutThroat Island may be for you, especially since it is one of the only entries into the pirate genre in the last 10 years or so. This film has the dubious distinction of going down in the Guiness Book of World Records as the movie that cost the studio the most money to make - the return on their investment was nothing near the $100 million + required to make the movie. The acting is BAD, with horrible accents - or an utter lack of regard for such "trivialities" - and more flat lines than a hospital ward full of dead people. The sets are extravegant but most of them ending up getting blown up. Apparently, many of the cannonballs used in that time were actually small bombs that caused stone buildings, piles of wood and straw, and human beings to explode into enormous balls of special-effect fire. The ending was shot on the same island in Thailand as "The Beach," and the settings are actually one of the positive points of the film. For those who enjoy the pirate genre, where things don't necessarily make a lot of sense in the real world but salty dogs and barrels of gunpowder mix with parrots and pieces 'o eight to create swashbuckling action and sappy romance, CutThroat Island is good. The DVD is affordable, although the video transfer leaves something to be desired - there are black dots and lines everywhere, and there is an annoying white line running down the right side of the screen on the letterbox version. In addition, there are no "extras" save a couple of trailers. On the plus side, both letterbox and 4:3 (TV) versions are available on the one disc, and the sound transfer (for better or for worse, if you listen to the accents too closely) is perfect. Har, matey. Har.
Rating:
Summary: A worthwhile adventure
Review: For my money I say you can't beat a good adventure flick, and Cutthroat Island delivers on the adventure. Explosions, swordplay, and greed; it's everything a pirate action film should be. The plot is reasonably good--not the absolute best, but plenty good enough, with just enough twists and turns to stay lively. (By 1990s standards, it's well above average.) The action is somewhat better, keeping the story going forward at a good pace without ever becoming tedious. All in all, the director did a great job of keeping the movie entertaining and keeping the audience involved in the story. My only complaint about the film is Matthew Modine, who I've always considered a weak actor. In this movie he's no exception, though fortunately he plays a bit of a weasely duck-and-cover man anyway through the beginning of the film, covering up some of the worst of it. Still the movie is entertaining enough to make up for that, and then there's Geena Davis in a pirate costume; gads that's good cinema. A resounding four stars.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Piece of Entertainment
Review: I don't really know why I originally bought this DVD, but I am very glad I did. There are plenty of other reviews here that give you an idea of the movie itself, so I won't bother. If you are looking for a movie that is extremely entertaining and an enjoyment to watch several times this is it. (This is one of only a handful of movies I've seen more that 2 or 3 times.) If you're looking for some deep, moving, emotional or mental experience, you're considering the wrong genre to begin with. Want some great fun for a couple of hours, you've found it.
Rating:
Summary: It's a shame I have to give this ANY stars
Review: I found this to be a mind-bogglingly stupid film. Bad acting, miscast actors, bad script, bad direction, laughable plot. If you feel an irresistable urge to see this film, just hit yourself in the forehead with a hammer. It will feel the same and you'll save some money by not renting this garbage.
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