Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Pirates of the Caribbean was Disney’s first PG-13 rated release, so it’s only natural that this swashbuckling action flick made some waves! Although none of its successors were able to recapture the magic of this movie, Curse of the Black Pearl easily stands on it’s own and still serves as an entertaining popcorn flick.

Pros: Firstly, Johnny Depp gives an electric, and quite possibly his best ever, performance as Captain Jack Sparrow. Furthermore, this story is unique and has a balanced mix of drama, action and humor. Lastly, the score composed by Hans Zimmer is nothing short of brilliant. The now universally recognized soundtrack elevates this movie and makes it a truly memorable experience!

Cons: The story is unique, but gets muddled when the supernatural element is revealed. The curse is mentioned several times, but never adequately explained for the audience to fully grasp all of its rules. The sword fights are well choreographed in most cases, but in other cases, the action is heavily edited making it difficult to follow along with the scenes. I’d like to forgive the many sweeping land/seascape shots because they are gorgeous and help set the scenes, but this movie is over two hours long and spends an unnecessary amount of time on these indulgence shots as well as secondary characters.

I give Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl a B+. Depp’s performance and the score alone are enough reasons to watch this movie, so what are you waiting for? Happy Watching!

“But you have heard of me.”