Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
January 2004 Reviewed by: Wes Phillips Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is undoubtedly the best film ever based on a Disney ride. That sounds like faint praise, but Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is actually a delightful little film. Unfortunately, only about two-thirds of its 134-minute running time is actually concerned with the story.

If you haven't seen this movie yet, you are probably thinking that the problem is the amount of time given to the special effects. Surprisingly, despite the presence of thousands of CGI effects, they don't detract from the movie at all. In fact, Pirates' use of CGI is pretty much spot on -- the viewer is never distracted from the fantasy by the realization that the filmmakers have done a good job. At least I wasn't. I was captivated by the vast armies of cursed dead marching on our heroes, never giving a thought as to how it had been done. That is incredibly rare in a summer blockbuster.

Neither is the problem the acting, which ranges from quite good to superb. Johnny Depp's portrayal of the pirate Captain Jack Sparrow as a 19th-century Keith Richards (down to the South London accent) is as hilarious as it is perfect. Geoffrey Rush, as his nemesis, Barbossa, matches him for sheer scenery-chewing outrageousness. Their big confrontation has been described as the arghh-off of all time.

The romantic leads, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, do not quite match the flamboyance of Depp and Rush, but they don't need to. Their characters are virtuous, which in this world means slightly boring -- all Bloom needs to be is steadfast and true, while Knightley only needs to be spunky. Both succeed admirably.

So, what is the film's problem? Too many pointless fight scenes, which go on too dang long. At over two hours running time, Pirates is bloated -- if it matched Treasure Island's 96-minute length, it might actually challenge that film's status as best pirate film ever.

As it is, however, it's still pretty tasty. The two-disc DVD is a tad on the bloated side, too, but it is packed with interesting extras, ranging from the obligatory "making of" infomercial to some fascinating featurettes on pirates and special effects. The commentary, supplied by writers Stuart Beattie, Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio, and Jay Wolpert, is well worth listening to for a change. There are also 19 deleted scenes. To think, it could have been even longer!

But what really makes this disc worth acquiring are its video and sound quality, which are impeccable. The colors and clarity of the transfer are demonstration-quality. The surround mix is quite simply one of the best I have ever heard.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is a must-have DVD. But remember where you put the remote control -- it goes down a lot easier with some judicious fast-forwarding.

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