All At Sea Season: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (Dir Gore Verbinski, 2h 25m, 2003)

The year is 2002, and the Walt Disney Company are in trouble. We've already spoken at length about Disney's Lost Decade of the 2000s when we spoke about the execrable Mulan remake, back in 2021, but briefly speaking, everything is, to some extent or other, in bad shape, from the animated division largely left to their own-increasingly experimental-devices, or cutting ties entirely, to the cash-strapped theme parks, to a badly listing live action films division. The latter, now beloved by a generation raised on their 90s to mid 2000s output, hadn't really released anything of note (aside from, most bizarrely of all, David Lynch's The Straight Story) since the charming piratical adventure romp, Muppets Treasure Island in 1996, their latest box office bomb a woefully clunky adaption of the narrative of animatronic Disneyland/World attraction, The Bad News Bears (somehow starring Christopher Walken). Around all the public chaos, a mutinous crew prepared to fire their captain, CEO Michael Eisner.

So of course what happened next was Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, a spectacularly scaled adventure movie, based upon the ride at Disneyland/World, which not only resurrected the live action wing of Walt Disney, but brought the pirate movie, long since consigned to Davy Jones' locker into the 21st century and back into the limelight, catapulting its star from indie darling to blockbuster megastar, in a swashbuckling tale of a pirate (Johnny Depp) and a blacksmith (Orlando Bloom) joining forces to rescue the latter's sweetheart (Keira Knightly) from zombified pirates led by a mutinous captain (Geoffrey Rush), kickstart a franchise that, whilst middling, remains jolly (roger) good fun, and set the benchmark teen action adventure films that still stands to this day.

By 2002, the pirate movie, and frankly popular media about pirates, were deader than a parrot. Yaaargh. Kickstarted by Robert Louis Stephenson's Treasure Island in 1883, their cinematic exploits are largely restricted to the late 1930s and 1940s where Errol Flynn basically invented the swashbuckling hero that would later resurrect itself in post-modern fashion in Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow; heroic, daring, and idealistic, whilst Douglas Fairbanks' turn as Robin Hood would invent the concept in action cinema, Flynn would exemplify it. But for occasional twitches, notably John Hough's 1972 adaption of Treasure Island, starring Orson Welles, the pirate movie bobbed along before Cutthroat Island (1995) seemed to kill it for good.

Colossally scaled, riddled with production chaos including a cast that could have involved Keanu Reeves, Liam Neeson and Daniel Day Lewis, the film lost $88 million, killed the studio that made it, (Carolco Pictures). With that kind of infamous reputation, pirate movies seemingly went the way of their subject, with only the Muppets (and Tim Curry) managing to make a profit, whilst Disney's own animated pirate movie, Treasure Planet, (directed by John Musker & Ron Clements, two men who by this point had racked up three of the best films of the Disney Renaissance, and about a billion dollars), had arrived in cinemas to a shrug, had its marketing budget slashed after a disastrous first week, and would only later become the cult classic it had been since the start. Pirate movies, in short, were completely and utterly cursed.

So Disney made a pirate movie. Or rather, Disney decided to make another pirate movie. With Gore Verbinski, a man seemingly determined to bring the pirate movie back from the deeps himself, and with Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio (who had already written two action adventure movies in the shape of Aladdin and the cult classic The Road to El Dorado), writing, using the ride as influence, with some liberal (and in hindsight very obvious) borrowing some choice elements (cursed pirates et al) from cult LucasGames outing The Curse of Monkey Island, so the film set sail, (despite Michael Eisner baulking at the film's budget) complete with three colossal partly built ships, and with Johnny Depp starring as the film's pirate deuteroagonist, Jack Sparrow, beating Matthew McConaughey and Cary Elwes to the role).

Pirates of the Caribbean wastes no time in introducing itself; beginning with its meet-cute between a young Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) and Will Turner (Bloom), as he is discovered floating at sea, the film quickly deals its cards out; its macguffin, cursed Aztec gold, sought by its villains, represented by the ominous black-clad Pearl, and the ever-ready threat of pirates in the Caribbean waters. Not only this but we set up Elizabeth's friendship with Will, her relationship with her father and her would-be suitor (Norrington, played by Jack Davenport), the film's central subterfuge, as she pockets the pirate medallion entrusted to Will), and her fascination with all things piratical that will colour the film to come. All this, and via the young Elizabeth singing "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me), a hook back into the ride for its many fans, in five and a half minutes. It would be admirable if it wasn't immediately superseded by how much the film packs into its opening half hour.

Jumping forward to the present as Elizabeth wakes from her dream, the film recontextualises its earlier meeting of its central duo, now placing the class divide in their way, as Will presents her father with sword for Norrington's promotion., whilst Elizabeth inadvertently has to carry the cursed medallion of her dream for her day, that involves the stifling sensibilities of 17th Century womanhood as she and her father, the Governor of Port Royal (Jonathan Pryce), attend the promotion. Into this stuffy world of class and privileged, enters what will transform Pirates of the Caribbean from simply a good film into a superb one, and the character that will take Johnny Depp from the star of oddball Gothicism to one of the Hollywood stars of the early 2000s. Enter, swept by the wind, and every inch the cinematic swashbuckler atop the mast of his (rapidly revealled to be sinking) boat, Captain Jack Sparrow.

Depp is a breath of fresh air in the sails of the pirate movie. Sure, by film five his "Keith Richards circa 1975 by way of David Bowie at his most Anthony Newley" impression, kohled eyes, erratic centre of gravity, pirate couture at its most New Romantic-esque, and unerring ability to make the pirate the 17th Century rockstar of their day wore a little thin, but to see it buttress up against the other, comparatively realistic performances of the first film is little short of a revelation. It is a stroke of complete fucking genius, much of which flew over a beleagued Disney board who assumed that Depp was playing the character as drunk, gay, or that the actor was deliberately trying to sabotage the film, and raised alarm at some of Depp's attempts to make the character even more outlandish (a missing nose and pathological fear of pepper among them). Depp makes this film, and elevates it from merely well made romp into unmissable action cinema. 

From the moment Depp sails into view, he is electrifying, and by the point he's rescued Elizabeth from a plunge into the sea caused by her corset-which inadvertently alerts the villainous pirates after the medallion to its presence-and escaped from the clutches of Norrington and his men-further fleshing out of the "worst pirate I've ever heard of"-he is in danger of stealing the entire film. Compared to the rest of the film's world, Sparrow is unpredictable, lurching from threat to charm to unapologetic hero, and back again, often within the space of a single scene. Promptly crossing swords with Will, in which the young blacksmith's attraction to Elizabeth, and his capability with a sword are proven, so Sparrow is captured, and the scene is set for the titular Black Pearl to make its appearance. This, in a film where each ship has its own sense of character, it does with aplomb, looming into frame, before its crew bombard Port Royal, loot the town, and, drawn by the gold, capture Elizabeth and take her back to the ship.

Here, once again, Elliot and Rossio add a twist to the tale; Sparrow is discovered by two of the crew, and not only is the hapless pirate connected to this disreputable mob, but, in the first of many effects shots that remain impressive, the pirates are revealled to be cursed by the gold they seek, turned into skeletal zombies in the moonlight. Elizabeth is their captive, and we are introduced to their captain, Barbossa (Rush). If Depp is the pirate of the 21st Century, refracted through artifice and 1970s pop culture, Rush is the storybook pirate, the real deal, from "yaaaargh"and talk-like-a-pirate-ing his way through several of his best moments to the costume, to his pure presence as a character, and his unapologetic scenery chewing. Barbossa's plan is simple-all 882 pieces of gold reunited, he simply needs to spill some of Elizabeth's blood, and the decade-long curse will be lifted.

Another spectacular scene builds tension, before, as Elizabeth stabs Barbossa and attempts to make her mistake, before the film reveals exactly how cursed they are, with Barbossa theatrically snarling "you best start believing in ghost stories", as the (still impressive) CGI reveals the unnerving visual of the entire crew zombified, before, at his piratical best, Rush cackles, alcohol dripping through his exposed ribcage, and orders the crew back to work, in the first of many scenes that sees Barbossa revelling in the reputation and fear his crew represent. Keen to stop the curse being lifted, and in order to save Elizabeth, Will springs Sparrow from prison, the duo proceed to steal a ship through subterfuge and one of the best action scenes of the entire film as they trick the Navy into boarding one ship, only to make off with the much faster Interceptor, picking up a motley crew at the lawless island of Tortuga. before setting off in pursuit of Barbossa, the Pearl, and Elizabeth

Pirates' first half may be a masterclass in setup but its second half, as its dramatis personae cross paths, Jack's plans involving Will and his shadowy connections to both the young man's father and Barbossa' mutinous crew, are revealled, along with Will's unexpected links to the world of piracy, is, if anything better, dominated by colossal set pieces and sterling action. It's crowd-pleasing pirate action,.cinematic escapism honed into an artform, from a pitched battle between ships, cannons blazing as one ship hunts down and engages another, to multiple perfectly choreographed swordfights, including one among the very treasure that drives the action along, that sees a perfect synthesis of CGI and the intricately built sets and perfectly tailored costumes in one of the most memorable fights scenes of 21st Century cinema.

But more than this, Pirates single-handedly rebuilt the reputation of the pirate movie by essentially having its cinematic cake and eating it; it at once manages to include the scallywag, the charming anti-hero, represented by Sparrow, and eventually, Turner, who represent that swashbuckling hero that cinema hadn't had for decades, whilst reinventing them as Depp completely steals the film with every other line he has, and the murderous bloodthirsty vagabonds of the sea, represented by Barbossa and his crew. Pirates though, is more than simply a perfect narrative synthesis; the fact that so much of the film's world feels real and tactile, even in the case of the film's numerous digital special effects, let alone the very real boats built for the film. Whilst the franchise would eventually become overstretched by interminable sequels, there's something, even if one looks past Depp's film-stealing performance, that means the film remains an impressive yardstick of action adventure films.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl remains more than just a good action adventure film, resurrecting the pirate genre from Davy Jones' Locker, breathing new life into a whole way of film making that seemed destined to never again rise from the depths, and making the swashbuckler cool again, whilst taking its archetypal heroes in a new and exciting direction that would pave the way for dozens of irreverent heroes over the last two decades, whilst Pirates of the Caribbean as a franchise would push visual effects and film-making into uncharted waters. Even without the franchise that it would eventually form the opening salvo of, Curse of the Black Pearl remains a treasure of early 2000s action cinema, introducing one of its iconic characters in a effortlessly told swashbuckling adventure of treasure, piracy, revenge, and daring do.

Rating: Must See

Next week: Oceans are now battlefields as the Napoleon Wars take to the ocean waves in Master and Commander: Far Side of the World

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