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Pirates of the Caribbean
Review by Mike Furches (Mike's bio)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Screenplay by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio
Johnny Depp . . . Jack Sparrow
Geoffrey Rush . . . Barbossa
Orlando Bloom . . . Will Turner
Keira Knightley . . . Elizabeth Swann
Jack Davenport . . . Norrington
Jonathan Pryce . . . Governor Weatherby Swann
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for action/adventure violence.
Shiver me timbers, the lines were long and the theaters all sold out for the opening day showings of Pirates of the Caribbean. We actually arrived an hour and a half before the last matinee feature and the next two showings were also sold out, with the movie showing on four screens. The advance trailers airing over the last year had worked up a frenzy, and all of the regular Geoffrey Rush and Johnny Depp fans were out in full force to boot. I knew then that I was going to be seeing a late night feature, but would this movie be able to keep me awake until after the midnight hour?
I've got to admit, ever since I was a small child I have loved pirate stories, but I had been so disappointed over the years of adulthood because there were very few decent stories and little excitement in the movies that had been made. I am a huge Johnny Depp fan, though, and an even bigger Geoffrey Rush fan. Rush had gotten my attention with one of the best performances ever when he won the Academy Award playing the part of David Heffgault in the movie Shine, a wonderful story of talent, ability verses perception, and disability. When I knew that Rush and Depp were teaming up here, I thought, “What more can I ask for?” I knew there was hope.
One of my concerns recently is that the movies just don't live up to expectations after the advance trailers. You've heard all of the comments like, “Yea, if you saw the previews you saw all of the good parts of the movie.” Don't worry about this with Pirates; while the trailers and previews are exciting and riveting, the movie offers far, far more candy to enjoy than a kid on tour at Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory. There are many stars in this movie, and many themes discussed that make Pirates of the Caribbean not only enjoyable but also quite worthwhile.
The story starts out with young Elizabeth Swann finding a boy, young Will, floating on a piece of wood on the ocean. Elizabeth is on a ship her father commands, and she has always had a love and passion for pirates that many have recognized as being dangerous. They don't realize it at the time, but the small unconscious boy is the victim of a pirate attack. He wears a pendent that young Elizabeth steals and keeps in her possession because of the skull-and-crossbones image that it portrays, a reminder of her fantasy.
The story continues some ten years later, and we find Elizabeth (played by Keira Knightley) is all grown up but still has a passion for pirates. The young boy that was picked up, Will (played by Orlando Bloom) works for a drunken blacksmith, but Will has a way with swords. The viewer can see that Elizabeth and Will have loved each other from afar for years, but because of the differences in class structure have never been able to show each other their love. This is a continual commentary that hopefully we will one day understand: true love goes beyond socioeconomic class. Maybe one reason the divorce rate is so high is that we marry out of convenience more than we do out of real love.
Enter now, a great piece of comic genius played by Johnny Depp: the ferocious yet stumbling Captain Jack Sparrow. While he may not be one of the most feared and most popular pirates of the seven seas, he is fine with the fact that at least people have heard of him. What they don't know won't hurt him because he has more tricks up his sleeve than those who would have him dead will be able to keep up with. He is a pirate that uses not only his sword but more importantly his mind. He is also smart enough to realize that it is not always in his best interest to let people know what he is thinking.
Johnny Depp, one of the quirkiest yet most wonderful actors in the business, gives another dynamite performance. I cannot think of a movie that he has been in where he has not shone as an individual actor. From Edward Scissorhands to Benny & Joon and from What's Eating Gilbert Grape to the wonderful Don Juan DeMarco, this actor has his craft down and is a joy to watch every second he is on screen. It will be a shame that in all likelihood he will not be considered at awards time for this portrayal; it is a shame because what he does is unique and so wonderful to watch that you don't realize that this is not really a pirate, but instead a contemporary actor playing the part. If ever a pirate matched up to the reputation portrayed in the images of my childhood, it would be good ole Captain Jack Sparrow.
As wonderfully as he plays the part of a good pirate, as much as one can be good, Geoffrey Rush does the same with his part as the evil pirate. What we have the honor of seeing is two of the absolute bests in Hollywood working together, obviously enjoying it and working off each other. While they may not be in every scene together, each actor has done his homework to know that his mannerisms play off the other. Each character is in essence what drives the other, and these two fine actors never forget that.
The story progresses, and we find out a lot of things, including the fact that Captain Jack has a hankering to get back a ship that was taken from him in a mutinous event. It is a ship that has wreaked havoc on the open seas for years. The leader of the mutiny, Barbossa (played by Geoffrey Rush), now commands The Black Pearl. He has an evil and dirty crew that has more horror in store for those they come into contact with than most people have likely ever experienced. What transpires is a wonderful thrill ride that will last for almost two and a half hours. You leave the theater wishing for more but knowing that for now the ride is over. By the way, find out when the ride is actually over by making sure that you read through until the end of this review. It was amazing that out of a packed theater only a few stayed until the very end.
Regarding the technical aspects of the movie, I must say that, for as miserable as the special effects were in the move The Hulk, Industrial Light & Magic is back. There are so many effects, from walking underwater to images changing from human to skeleton in an instant, that the viewer can lose sight of everything that is going on and the work it took to make it happen. The editing is topnotch, and the only thing that seems to suffer is the lack of a deep plot, but for goodness sake, this is a pirate and ghost movie; what do you expect? If the purpose is to have fun and enjoy a movie as well as have a few characters that you care about, this is a wonderful movie. I would caution very young viewers, though, because while there is no sex, very little blood, and no language issue, the movie is very violent in parts and very scary. It is mild in comparison to some, but I promise that there will be material in this to cause some to have bad dreams and be afraid.
There are themes that I appreciated here: the concept of evil turning to good, the willingness to sacrifice for love. I also enjoyed the concept of not letting people put you in a box and prevent you from becoming what you desire. We see this especially in the character of Will. Orlando Bloom is a joy to watch, and he can now add swordsman to his craft of archery. We also see a resurrection theme played out from a character who would destroy the evil one. We also see several times where people would choose to have Captain Jack killed, only for him to escape to accomplish the purpose that he is destined for in life.
Jesus said you must become as a small child to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. What does that mean? It certainly means much more than enjoying the dreams and reliving the fantasies of one's childhood in regard to pirates. However, as a child, the things that made pirates so enjoyable to me were the dashing love stories, the epic battles between good and evil, seeing the good guy win in the end, and just being free enough to go for your dreams and ambitions. There is also an innocence that accepts and is willing to take chances. For me Pirates of the Caribbean helped relive some of those joys and pleasures.
My wife and I sometimes have different tastes in movies; she likes to have fun so she loved this one. I like to think but also have fun; I loved this one. She said she wanted to make sure she purchased it when it came out on DVD; I think I'll be the one to buy it for her on the Tuesday it comes out. Not just because it is a fun movie but because it reminds me of the things I am supposed to be for my Lord: vibrant, daring, loving, and bold. Those are qualities that we can all be reminded of. Don't sit back and watch the world go around; instead, go out and make a difference; go for our dreams and find the enemy on his turf to fight and win back that which our God so deserves.
I liked this movie; it is not perfect but it is very good and I enjoyed it. I am actually hoping that there will be a sequel with the entire original cast; I enjoyed it that much.
On a scale of 1–10, for the number of people who actually stayed until the end of the credits to see what everyone else missed, a 9. By the way, for future reference, don't ever leave the theater until the credits are finished rolling. For those that left early in this movie, you missed the true ending of this story. Ha ha, serves you right! Now you will have to pay again unless you can get someone to tell you, but it won't be me.
Copyright 2003, Mike Furches. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
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About Mike Furches: Mike is the senior pastor of United at the Cross Community Church in Wichita, Kansas. The church, located in the inner city of Wichita has a unique ministry to former gang members, drug addicts, prostitutes and others often neglected by the church. Mike also is involved in freelance writing and speaks nationally. Check out his web page for more information: http://www.furches.org/ E-mail Mike |
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