Gore Verbinski is quickly becoming my favorite director. (He’s not quite there yet) But after the quirky MouseHunt, the romantic comedy (with an edge) THE MEXICAN and of course the movie that freaked me out and gave me an unnatural fear of little girls THE RING, Mr. Verbinski has definitely made a pretty impressive resume for himself…
Pirates Of The Caribbean is inspired by the attraction ride of the same name at DisneyLand (never been there) and Disney World (haven’t been there in forever…DYING to go back!!!). “Inspired” is the right word, because obviously the film needs more substance than just what the ride offers…(but there are some sweet references to the ride. Very cool!)
So there’s this whole story about a curse and “living dead” pirates, and while the movie is longer than it had to be, it’s still very, very cool.
Orlando Bloom comes into his own here. He’s very cool as the blonde Elven archer in the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, but here he’s given more of a chance to show his acting chops, while still be an action hero. Job well done.
Geoffrey Rush, as usual, is very good. But Keira Knightley was a very nice surprise for me. I’d never really seen her before, at least not really acting, even though I know of her previous films, but she did a very nice job. And it doesn’t hurt that she may be one of the most beautiful actresses working today. Top 5, maybe even…
And then there’s Mr Depp.
Johnny Depp is a bad ass.
He seemingly can play just about any kind of role, and play them all convincingly. And here, like in SLEEPY HOLLOW, he’s a pleasure to watch. He’s funny, but cool, and more than a little out there, and it work’s perfectly.
So Gore Verbinski keeps making cool movies. I’d love to see what he can do with a super-hero flick. I can see him pulling of a darker one, like a Batman, or even a Sandman themed flick. He’s got a great eye, and a great story telling ability.
And the effects-meisters were on top of their game with this one too!
The skeletal pirates are a hoot, and very well done.
Like I said, the movie is a little long, and it’s not really for the wee-little ones, but all in all, Pirates is a great movie.