Product Details

• Actors: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport
• Directors: Gore Verbinski
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Walt Disney Video
• VHS Release Date: December 2, 2003
• Run Time: 143 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2,052 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0000CEY2E
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,356 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

You won't need a bottle of rum to enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, especially if you've experienced the Disneyland theme-park ride that inspired it. There's a galleon's worth of fun in watching Johnny Depp's androgynous performance as Captain Jack Sparrow, a roguish pirate who could pass for the illegitimate spawn of rockers Keith Richards and Chrissie Hynde. Depp gets all the good lines and steals the show, recruiting Orlando Bloom (a blacksmith and expert swordsman) and Keira Knightley (a lovely governor's daughter) on an adventurous quest to recapture the notorious Black Pearl, a ghost ship commandeered by Jack's nemesis Capt. Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), a mutineer desperate to reverse the curse that left him and his (literally) skeleton crew in a state of eternal, undead damnation. Director Gore Verbinski (The Ring) repeats the redundant mayhem that marred his debut film Mouse Hunt, but with the writers of Shrek he's made Pirates into a special-effects thrill-ride that plays like a Halloween party on the open seas. Aye, matey, we've come a long way since Jason and the Argonauts! --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker

As the deposed pirate captain Jack Sparrow, Johnny Depp does not so much walk as sashay into a scene, and he wears more eyeshadow than Tammy Faye Bakker. He gives this exuberant family entertainment an amiable sheen of silliness (the performance offers diverse echoes of W. C. Fields, Toshiro Mifune, and Keith Richards on a bender). Depp leaves a lot of the duelling and all of the lovemaking to Orlando Bloom (from "The Lord of the Rings"), who plays a young blacksmith with pirate blood in his veins, a fellow much loved by the daughter of the British governor of a Caribbean colony, Keira Knightley (she has a thing for swashbucklers). The movie is based on the famous old Disneyland ride, and it's good, cheesy fun, complete with tall ships, battles at sea, and accursed pirates who turn into skeletons at night. As Barbossa, the pirate who deposed Captain Jack, Geoffrey Rush eyeballs his victims and stretches out his syllables in the taunting manner of Robert Newton, who specialized in stump-legged scoundrels fifty years ago. -David Denby
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!, November 9, 2003

By	"day24" (Leiden, The Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) (DVD)

Now this film I really love. The story is superb, even though I had not expected it from a film adaptation of a theme-park ride. The special effects are amazing, the acting is fabulous, an overall thrill ride which takes you back to all the films you grew up with, repeated again and again. This is a pirate film with a twist, but still quite reminiscent of the Errol Flynn movies.

The two stand-out performances of this film are undoubtedly Johny Depp, who has made it a career of selecting roles for himself which are not only very suitable, but in which he shines and steals the show. This time, however, he has heavy competition in that department. Orlando Bloom, known for his role as Legolas in the Lord of the Ring movies, dazzles the movie-goer with his acting capabilities, looks and fighting skills. It seems a romantic hero is born in this movie...lets hope Mr. Bloom can keep shining and outperforming his co-stars.

The verdict? The only reason I wouldn't give this movie 5 stars is that I have seen a few better movies, in terms of story and other things. However, it is certainly one of the best movies I have seen this year! And well, as you can oly give full stars on Amazon, I'll give it all five...as I did truly love it...

40 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Since we're being honest..., November 22, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) (DVD)

Once again I come across a film I'll buy on Amazon. Look at all the 5-star reviews! When this happens, I go looking for the bad reviews to see what people didn't like. One guy gave this great movie 1 star because *he* isn't into these kinds of movies. Well, pardon those of us that are, dipstick. Your preference in films doesn't dictate whether it's bad or good.

Many gave it only one star simply because Disney had something to do with it. Another person said it sucked, and admitted walking out of the film after 30 minutes. How do you know a movie is bad if you don't watch it? Then, of course, there is the geeky cluster of plankton, jealous of Orlando Bloom's looks. He is the new kid on the block, and he is as pretty as they come (I'd do that elf), so the geeks online who wished they had his appeal with the ladies will rage against him, and I imagine the same goes for Johnny Depp. One idiot even said the villainous pirates, weren't evil because they were merely trying to lift a curse, and "What's evil about that?" Flush the crap out of your brain, and watch it again you scurvy scum!! Arrrr!

I know this won't be everybody's favorite review, but I have to mock the twittering fools! None of you have a good, mature reason for disliking this movie-- or you simply don't explain yourselves. I mean, coming to Amazon and saying "This movie sucks, I hated it and I'll never see it again", isn't a review worth paying any attention to. Explain yourself.

This is the part where you click on how this didn't help you. That's okay. Intelligent people don't need my help to see how good this film was. There are 700 reviews here that already have. Besides, I only use that feature to count the haters and the nerds I anger with my mockery of their pathetic, self-important so-called "reviews". I laugh at your opinion and 700 other people here are laughing at you with me. Har, har, haaaaaaaar! Why are we laughing? Most of you one or two-star reviewers hated this movie on principle, because you don't like Orlando, Johnny, (for no good reason) or Disney. You're cheating yourselves and that's funny to me. The rest of you just have short attention spans, and should only go see Jackie Chan films if you want a bunch of action with no story.

Now that I've scraped them off my shoe, here's the deal. This movie was a refreshing story, a great production--- far more than even I expected from a Disney film. I expected to be writing a bad review too (only mine would have had some semblance of intelligence). Maybe that's why I liked it so much.

It does have its slow parts, but the story still moves along well. I think that the intro of Captain Jack Sparrow in all his sea-faring glory, atop his crow's nest, only to reveal that he's in a sinking lifeboat which slides smoothly under the water just as he's stepping onto the pier is one of the finest intros I've seen, and a truly flawed hero is one of the best kinds in film. He stole every scene he was in with ease. The straight man, Orlando Bloom was a great contrast to the drunken, bumbling Depp; and Geoffrey Rush was the epitome of the villain pirate. It is so clichéd, and so over the top that you have to admire his performance. He even goes "Arrrrrrr"! I almost died laughing.

Since I spent so much time putting the haters in their place I don't have much time to say how much I treasured this movie in a time where there was absolutely no movie out that could compete with its originality. The one thing bad that I do have to say is that while I love duels with swords, (and I'm talking about "Princess Bride", Errol Flynn, Zorro kind of duels), the duels in this were fun except the final duel between Sparrow and the bad pirate (name escapes). Two zombies that can't hurt each other sword fighting for long time isn't very tense or thrilling. The dueling and the effects of the scene are great, but too long. That's all I can think of to bash this really.

I thought making a movie about a ride at Disneyland/World was just a cheap stunt to revitalize an old ride and sell amusement park tickets, and maybe on some level it was, but I was very surprised at how much fun I had watching this. I will get this dvd without any hesitation!

"Drink up me hearties yo-ho!"

262 of 323 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No plane needed, enjoy the ride at home, November 9, 2003

By	S. E Kautzman "wizardoz30" (Michigan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Pirates of the Caribbean - The Curse of the Black Pearl (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) (DVD)

I have never ridden the Disney ride and I don't think I need to. All I need is this DVD and someplace to watch it. I saw this in theaters 6 times because it was so good and I have been anxiously awaiting the DVD. People say women like this movie because of Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom, and I say true, but I love their performance, not their looks (Although they are both attractive gentlemen). Johnny is at his comedic finest and you will not stop laughing and Orlando makes you root for the good guy even harder then normal and laugh at his comments that compliment Johnny's "uniqueness". Geoffery Rush is phenomenal and so is the actor (I am blanking on his name, sorry sir, you were still awesome) who plays Commodore Norrington (he needs way more publicity, he was phenomenal as well)...

This is by far the best movie of the year and without a doubt deserves awards for both content and actor performance. Knowing the Oscars, it will get overlooked, not enough "big names" in some over the top boring movie, so my vote goes to them by buying the DVD and encouraging others to buy it as well. Nothing says "In your face" to those who keep getting reconized for less then deserving work then getting surpassed in sales by "box office poison" Johnny Depp and his 'mates.