"Alas, this is the day you will always remember as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!" -Johnny Depp
The year was 1967 when Disney opened the Pirates of the Caribbean theme park ride in Disneyland, Orlando, Florida. Who would've thought that one day, a film series based on that ride will become one of the most popular and loved film series of all time. Yes ladies and gentlemen, the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise is without doubt one of the most popular film series in the world. According to me there are two reasons for the series' being a huge success:
1. Hollywood doesn't have many pirate films that are both, entertaining and thrilling.
2. Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp portrays the lead character, Captain Jack Sparrow, in all the four films. The film series are based in the late nineteenth century, when piracy was at its peak in the world. The first three films follow the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow, his rivalry with his treacherous First Mate, Captain Hector Barbossa (Rush), and the variety of problems that come their from, from the East India Company to ancient sea monsters. The main plot also includes a romantic side story between the EIC's Governor's daughter, Elizabeth Swann (Knightly) and a blacksmith-turned-pirate, Will Turner (Bloom), and how the two of them somehow get involved in Jack Sparrow's adventures.
Till date, there have been four films in the franchise, with a fifth one currently in development. The first three films are based on the Turner-Swann adventures, while the fourth film is a stand-alone sequel.
As far as the story line goes, here is a brief synopsis:
The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Captain Sparrow's former First Mate and his crew of undead pirates kidnap Governor Swann's daughter, Elizabeth. In order to save his love, blacksmith Will Turner teams up with Captain Jack Sparrow, who wants revenge on Barbossa (his first mate), for marooning him on an island and stealing his ship, the Black Pearl. On the other hand, Barbossa and his crew want to lift the curse of the 882 pieces of Aztec gold by returning them to Isla de Muerta. The last piece, however, is in the possession of William Turner, whose father was a pirate on the Black Pearl before his disappearance. The story follows Jack and Will's adventures to save Elizabeth and destroy Barbossa.
Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Lord Beckett of the EIC arrests Will and Elizabeth for aiding Jack Sparrow's escape. Jack, on the other hand, has to pay his debt to a sea monster, Davy Jones, who had raised the Pearl from the depths and made Jack captain for 13 years. In order to escape the debt, i.e., 100 years of service aboard Davy Jones' ship (The Flying Dutchman), Jack is in the search of a chest which contains Davy Jones' heart. Beckett too wants the heart to control the seas, and he guarantees clemency to Will and Elizabeth should Will be successful in obtaining the chest.
However, Will finds out that his father is alive and that he can use to chest to free of his debt. So, all three want the chest and what follows is a spectacular adventure.
(Personally,this one is my favorite out of the four.)
At World's End (2007)
This movie continues from where the second one left off. Lord Beckett gains power over Davy Jones' and decides to use him to extinguish piracy and make the EIC the masters of the sea.
The Nine Pirate Lords (which include Jack Sparrow and Barbossa) decide to meet at Shipwreck Cove in order to summon the help of the ancient sea goddess Calypso, and to make their final stand against the EIC. What follows throughout the rest of the movie are fights and fight between the EIC, Davy Jones and the pirates. In the end, Jack Sparrow escapes his debt to Jones', Jones' heart is stabbed by Will, and Will becomes the new captain of the Flying Dutchman. Will and Elizabeth marry and the post-credits scene shows Will Turner Jr. at the shore with his mother, waiting for his father.
(This movie brings an end to the Turner-Swann faction of the franchise.)
On Stranger Tides (2011)
This movie is a stand-alone sequel to the first three, and follows the adventures of Jack Sparrow and his search for the Fountain of Youth. Captain Barbossa has left piracy and has become a privateer in King George II's Navy, and he too is in a race against the Spanish to find the Fountain. This movie also introduces the character of Edward Teach a.k.a. Blackbeard, an infamous pirate who is also in search of the fountain. As it turns out, Blackbeard's daughter was a former love interest of Jack's, and she still remembers Jack's betrayal. All three want to reach the Fountain for different reasons and the visual effects in this movie are better than the ones seen in the first three.
In total, the four movies have grossed somewhere around $3.8 billion at the box office, making it one of the highest grossing film franchises in the world. The concept of the films was new, something which the world wasn't familiar with and roping in Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow was the icing on the cake. Depp's portrayal of the character cannot be described in words. The rest of the cast has done a pretty good job in creating good story lines which maintain the interest of the viewers. A major positive in the series are the excellent dialogues. Throughout the series, the actors have talked like pirates, with constant use of phrase like 'Aye!', 'Land Ho!', 'Savvy?' etc. The direction provided by Verbinski and Marshall has been good and has really allowed the series to reach such heights.
In general, there are no negatives. Maybe the movies are a bit too long, maybe some scenes are unnecessarily stretched, maybe the creatures and pirates are too ugly etc. All these are very minor points and can even go unnoticed.
The movie has received a variety of awards and accolades, and I think think that the series very well deserved these honors.
Overall Rating: 8.8/10
Best Movie: Dead Man's Chest
Not the Best Movie: The Curse of the Black Pearl
(PS: A few likes wouldn't hurt.)
Till you are out of rum,
He Who Must Not Be Named
Lord Beckett of the EIC arrests Will and Elizabeth for aiding Jack Sparrow's escape. Jack, on the other hand, has to pay his debt to a sea monster, Davy Jones, who had raised the Pearl from the depths and made Jack captain for 13 years. In order to escape the debt, i.e., 100 years of service aboard Davy Jones' ship (The Flying Dutchman), Jack is in the search of a chest which contains Davy Jones' heart. Beckett too wants the heart to control the seas, and he guarantees clemency to Will and Elizabeth should Will be successful in obtaining the chest.
However, Will finds out that his father is alive and that he can use to chest to free of his debt. So, all three want the chest and what follows is a spectacular adventure.
(Personally,this one is my favorite out of the four.)
At World's End (2007)
This movie continues from where the second one left off. Lord Beckett gains power over Davy Jones' and decides to use him to extinguish piracy and make the EIC the masters of the sea.
The Nine Pirate Lords (which include Jack Sparrow and Barbossa) decide to meet at Shipwreck Cove in order to summon the help of the ancient sea goddess Calypso, and to make their final stand against the EIC. What follows throughout the rest of the movie are fights and fight between the EIC, Davy Jones and the pirates. In the end, Jack Sparrow escapes his debt to Jones', Jones' heart is stabbed by Will, and Will becomes the new captain of the Flying Dutchman. Will and Elizabeth marry and the post-credits scene shows Will Turner Jr. at the shore with his mother, waiting for his father.(This movie brings an end to the Turner-Swann faction of the franchise.)
On Stranger Tides (2011)
This movie is a stand-alone sequel to the first three, and follows the adventures of Jack Sparrow and his search for the Fountain of Youth. Captain Barbossa has left piracy and has become a privateer in King George II's Navy, and he too is in a race against the Spanish to find the Fountain. This movie also introduces the character of Edward Teach a.k.a. Blackbeard, an infamous pirate who is also in search of the fountain. As it turns out, Blackbeard's daughter was a former love interest of Jack's, and she still remembers Jack's betrayal. All three want to reach the Fountain for different reasons and the visual effects in this movie are better than the ones seen in the first three.
In total, the four movies have grossed somewhere around $3.8 billion at the box office, making it one of the highest grossing film franchises in the world. The concept of the films was new, something which the world wasn't familiar with and roping in Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow was the icing on the cake. Depp's portrayal of the character cannot be described in words. The rest of the cast has done a pretty good job in creating good story lines which maintain the interest of the viewers. A major positive in the series are the excellent dialogues. Throughout the series, the actors have talked like pirates, with constant use of phrase like 'Aye!', 'Land Ho!', 'Savvy?' etc. The direction provided by Verbinski and Marshall has been good and has really allowed the series to reach such heights.
In general, there are no negatives. Maybe the movies are a bit too long, maybe some scenes are unnecessarily stretched, maybe the creatures and pirates are too ugly etc. All these are very minor points and can even go unnoticed.
The movie has received a variety of awards and accolades, and I think think that the series very well deserved these honors.
THE VERDICT:
"Oi Mate, you like pirates?You like Johnny Depp? You wanna watch pirate movies? I tell ya what mate, Pirates of the Caribbean is just the perfect film series for you.
If you like the concept of pirates, sea monsters and unknown treasures of the seas, this is the film series for you.Overall Rating: 8.8/10
Best Movie: Dead Man's Chest
Not the Best Movie: The Curse of the Black Pearl
(PS: A few likes wouldn't hurt.)
Till you are out of rum,
He Who Must Not Be Named
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