Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - Essay Example

An Evaluation of “Pirates of the Caribbean: The curse of the Black Pearl” Pirates of the Caribbean: The curse of the Black Pearl narrates the storyof a captain of a pirates’ ship, Jack Sparrow. A story that portrays adventure, tells about betrayal, love, friendship and passion, Pirates of the Caribbean is also packed with humor, a characteristic which holds the viewer’s attention. Therefore, the film does not only show the adventures of how Jack Sparrow arrived at his salvation but also narrates how he won the hearts and admiration of Will Turner and Elizabeth who gambled their lives for Sparrow and for each other. Although Elizabeth came from an affluent family and was loved by a commodore, she was lured by the thrill and mystery of the adventures of the infamous captain Jack Sparrow who obviously knew about the medallion Elizabeth was wearing when he saved her from drowning. When she was kidnapped by the cursed pirates who believed the woman to be the child of their traitor, their only passport back to normal lives, Elizabeth came face to face with the characters she just once read about. She then found out that ghosts and great wealth were not simply rumors or fictitious information but that they were as real as she was. This then led to the involvement of the real owner of the medallion which Elizabeth took from the child they found on the sea, Will, trying to save the woman that he loved. Although Will was deeply hurt to know who he really was, he did not stop loving Elizabeth nor did he stop showing his boldness and courage. When Sparrow finally got his life back to normal, he was sentenced to be hanged until he dies. However, Will boldly rescued him and fought for his freedom. Elizabeth did the same and the two soon found out that they were both in love with each other and would do the right things they must do. Since the commodore saw how daring the two proved their love for each other, he gave them their blessings with Elizabeth’s father following suit. In appreciating the story further, this paper is going to discuss more on the characters, visual effects, action and cinematography. Pirates of the Caribbean is obviously fictitious so that any unbelievable information could have been expected. It speaks of great wealth often heard in tales as well as ghosts and the living dead. Nevertheless, the film also reflects realistic events and characters. It is set in England where real people’s lives were depicted quite realistically. However, there are some elements which may not seem true in real life. For instance, when sparrow was trying to escape the authorities, he was just running but no bullet ever hit him. In real life, there is always a great chance a person gets hit with a bullet even if he is running especially so that there are a lot of officers aiming at only one person, firing simultaneously. Nevertheless, this is easily dismissed in the film because the stunts seem quite difficult, therefore taking the viewers’ eyes away from such trivial discrepancies. Again, as a fictitious adventure story, the film is expected to show visual effects. Although the circumstances and characters are not real, visual effects were used to bring to life the chimerical elements of the story. For example, as a living dead, captain Barbosa had to be portrayed as a decaying person. It took visual effects to bring about an image of a man with the wine directly dripping down as he gulped a bottle of wine. The skeletal features of the pirates fighting, created an almost real-life situation because of the imageries portrayed in the film. Therefore, even though it is a known fact that the characters are the products of the producer’s creative minds, the scenes are very engaging and effectively affects the viewers both emotionally and psychologically. The film somehow has an effect on people, making them scream and laugh accordingly. The film is also action-packed. Since it involves a lot of actions coupled with wonderful conversations, the film is able to tell the story wonderfully. Adventure stories naturally involve a lot of action however, one cannot deny that the well-choreographed movements of the characters and things brought about a smooth flow of the story. The scenes in the film are gripping and a viewer cannot really help but stay focused on the story. One of the actions which definitely is an attention-getter is Sparrow’s comical actions with his hands. He often lifts them like a lady often does, with slow, deliberate femininity in order to show how innocent and harmless he could be. In the dangers of death, Sparrow never showed any surprise rather, he acted seemingly without concern for any danger so that he gets into the heads of viewers who wonder if he is like the cursed pirates. On the other hand, there is an element in his actions that never gave away any inkling to his real situation and that is the real concern he often showed toward his companions. Behind his playful nature, Sparrow proved himself to be a good swordsman who is able to spar with even the most trained soldier and the younger blacksmith who was Will turner. In an equal energy, Turner also showed his abilities not only as an actor but as a character in the story. He was able to play his part well and his chemistry with Sparrow was simply amazing. Completing the cast is Elizabeth Swann who paralleled the performances of the aforementioned actors with her beauty and grace. She has been a sport in passionately engaging in the heart-throbbing scenes especially with the dead pirates. As to the performances of the three characters, New York Times says that Pirates of the Caribbean should be given more praises than what it already got because of the enjoyment they brought about in the movie (Mitchell). Joshua Tyler on the other hand points out to the unique characteristics of the major characters and gives a similar positive feedback about their accomplishments in the movie. The cinematography of the movie is without question, well-delivered and cleverly put together. It used several kinds of shots not only to emphasize or show the setting and characters of the story but also to make a wonderfully crafted flow of the story. For instance, long shots have been used to show the setting and to make viewers appreciate the beauty of the setting. Close up shots were employed to emphasize the facial expressions of the characters just like the scene where Elizabeth was running scared because of the sight of the cursed pirates. The movements of cameras also helped to bring about great shots. Of course sounds and music are important in the making of the movie and it could be said that the right sounds were created for the right images. For instance, the screams did not just complete the actions shown in the movie but it made a realistic scary part. The music has been intelligently chosen as well, with fast beats that adds up to the heart-pounding scenes or slower ones enhancing melancholic scenes. Indeed, the movie is a magic that brought an unimaginable story come to life. The characters were played very well by the actors, portraying their unique abilities and capabilities in acting and giving justice to the characters they played. The visual effects added life to the already wonderful cast. The actions are able to carry the viewers to the world of pirates and make them feel like they are in the setting watching as the story unfolds before their very eyes. Needless to say, the cinematography is a work of a genius which only needs to be applauded and commended. References Mitchell, Elvis. “Pirates of the Caribbean, The Curse of the Black Pearl: Film Review; Mascara as Black as a Jolly Roger”. New York Times. October 22, 2013. Web. October 22, 2013. . Tyler, Joshua. “Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl”. Cinemablend.com. 2013. Web. October 22, 2013. . Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dir. Gore Verbinski. Perf. Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley. Walt Disney Pictures, 2003. Film. Read More