Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Of course, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl needs no introduction: it spawned four sequels and even made the original Disneyland ride it’s based on alter its storyline to align with the movie. Yet it’s also an incredible showcase of elaborate sets and costumes that feel more like the world of pirates than any other pirate movie from Hollywood’s long history. The costumes were made with authentic materials, including the use of real 18th-century pistols, while the sets were quite ambitious for the time. The treasure cave was among the biggest interior movie sets ever built while all three of the main ships featured had miniature replicas built of them for specific shots.

​Then there’s Captain Jack Sparrow, who is still to this day one of the most imaginatively fun original characters ever made for a motion picture; Johnny Depp portrays this role with a drunken “sea legs walk” persona that forever redefined how pirates are depicted in pop culture. None of the other pirates featured are seen with the familiar hook hands or eyepatches, they instead look rather gross with disease, a look achieved with the help of contact lenses and coloring on teeth. So despite the ridiculous plot, this iconic summer blockbuster ought to be honored for how it revived a dead Hollywood genre for a new generation, making it look even better than it ever did before.

PG-13 (DV)
Action/Fantasy
2 hr. 23 min.

Watch it for FUN.
Watch it to feel HAPPY and AFRAID.