|
|
|
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl
R4 - Australia - Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (30th May 2004). |
|
The Film
 I've never been to Walt Disney World and never had the chance to go on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, but even if I were given the chance I would probably pass. Pirates don't do it for me, I was never fascinated by them, never cared about their history, I was uninterested. Then I heard that Hollywood Mega-Schlock producer Jerry Bruckheimer along with Disney where going to turn the theme park ride into a motion picture I nearly threw up. I thought that this was the worst and possibility the dumbest idea ever and that Disney and Bruckheimer where out of their minds. Not only because it was a film based on a ride of all things but also that it was a pirate movie, there was a time when Hollywood made these types of films all the time but rising costs and plummeting interest sent this format to the grave. There was one recent attempt to bring back the swashbuckling pirate adventure films back into the mainstream audience consciousness with Cutthroat Island, which bankrupted the then powerful Carcolco studios (responsible for some of the late 80's and 90's biggest hits including T2, Basic Instinct, Total Recall and the Rambo Trilogy). So Pirates of the Caribbean had a lot of naysayers including those in the Hollywood community. It was a project that was certainly set for disaster, but there where some shining rays of light that helped it float months before it was even released. With the announcement of the cast sceptics including myself stated to think that maybe this was a worthwhile project actors such as Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Jonathan Pryce (Keira Knightley was also announced by I didn't know who she was back then I hadn't seen Bend it Like Beckham yet). This list was certainly promising. So I waited with baited breath until I got the chance to see it when it opened and boy was I in for a surprise. Pirates, was the most fun I had in the cinemas in a long time, the film was wonderfully quirky with it's nice brand of humour, the action pieces where exhilarating and exciting to watch (especially the Black Pearl chasing the Interceptor sequence), the comical array of characters where always a joy to watch, especially Johnny Depp's portrayal as Captain Jack Sparrow (which deservedly earned him both a Golden Globe and an Oscar nominations) But what got me was that this Pirate films had a story (albeit, not a strong one, but a story non-the-less)! It just wasn't your average brainless blow em' up Bruckheimer action film. The Governor's daughter Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) is kidnapped by the Captain Barbossa's men (Geoffrey Rush). Elizabeth, who happens to have a pirate coin in her possession, is mistaken to be the child of a long lost ship mate Bootstrap Bill. The Pirates need the last coin of the cursed treasure and the blood of the child to break a curse that has plagued them for years. Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth's childhood friend in an attempt to save her reluctantly teams up with Pirate Captain Jack Sparrow. Sparrow and Barbossa's relationship goes back a long way, when he was Captain of the Black Pearl until his first mate Barbossa seized control of the ship and left Jack to die on an isolated island. Jack is the only one who can track the Pearl to its place of birth and so the adventure begins! Not only are the performances amazing but also just about every aspect of this film works. The action is spectacular, the photography is beautiful, the sets and costumes are perfect and the effects are the best that ILM has to offer and will certainly blow you away. Now this film is not perfect, the music wasn't anything new it reeked of Bruckheimer-esque scores (just listen to the music for Michael Bay's films and compare it to Pirates there isn't much difference) and there where some extremely cheesy lines mainly from Bloom and finally the Governor's daughter turned heroine was a little unbelievable especially for the time period, but it does give something for the girls to cheer for in case Bloom and Depp weren't enough. Despite these minor quibbles this was an adventure that rocks the boat. I am now a self-confessed pirate fan. I would recommend this film to anyone of all ages.
Video
Presented in the film's original theatrical ratio of 2.35:1 this THX certified anamorphic transfer is in one word breathtaking. The colours are solid and rich, the blacks are bold and shadow details are amazingly sharp. What we have here is a clean and crisp image transfer with no flaws in sight. The disc also includes the THX optimzer to calibrate your home theatre system to get the best possible image and sound.
Audio
This DVD offers the film in two audio formats an English DTS-ES 6.1 matrix soundtrack and an English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX soundtrack. The DTS track is dynamic and well mixed with seamless separation, dialogue is clear and audible at all times, the subwoofer channel is active especially during the action scenes, guns ablaze, and the ferocious storms. Atmosphere surrounds are also well presented and immerse the viewer into the whole pirate adventure. This DTS track is top notch. The DD EX track was equally impressive, showing the same qualities as the DTS track, but I found that the DTS track had more punch to it especially during the action scenes. Overall both tracks are great but I give it to the DTS track by just a slight margin. The film also includes subtitles in both English and English for the hard of hearing.
Extras
Buena Vista Home Entertainment has given us a 2-Disc Collector's Edition worthy of the Collector’s Edition title. They have packed so many features into these discs that I really didn’t know where to start. Disc one features 2 feature length commentaries plus some selected scene commentary and DVD-ROM content. Disc two includes most of the extras. We have a documentary, 3 diary featurettes, a fly on the set featurette, an interactive guide to pirates, deleted scenes, bloopers, scene progression, galleries as well as a look at the original ride and many DVD-ROM extras. DISC ONE: The first commentary you will find is with director Gore Verbinski and actor Johnny Depp. Overall this is a good commentary, the two cover a few basics about the production and there seems to be a lot of back patting going on. This could have been a much better track had they stopped with the: Gore to Johnny - ‘Oh you’re great’ Johnny to Gore ‘No, no you’re great, you’ve done a wonderful job’ and let us in on some of the finer details of making a film of this scope. Although entertaining at times this track left a lot to be desired. The second track we have features the screenwriters Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie and Jay Wolpert. This is a great track to listen to, especially if you are an aspiring writer or just interested in the screenwriting process. These guys talk about the difficulty in creating a storyline and most importantly characters and a plot based on a theme park attraction. They also talk in detail about the development process and how Gore’s vision brought the words on the page to life. There are never any dull moments in this track, it will keep you entertained and informed all the way through. The final track is not feature-length but is a selected scene commentary that involves producer Jerry Bruckheimer, actress Keira Knightley and actor Jack Davenport. I was a bit disappointed with the Knightley / Davenport commentary, it’s useless Davenport hardly says anything and the rest is just Knightley blabbing on and on about random uninteresting things like describing what is happening on screen or making general comments about how cute some of her co-stars are. They just as well should have left this track off the disc, as it doesn’t add anything of value what so ever. You also have the option of a selected scene Bruckheimer track, which is not as useless as the track above. Bruckheimer talks about casting the film and tells the viewer what a producer actually does. Disc one also has some DVD-ROM content, pop this disc into your DVD-ROM drive and you can gain access to a script scanner, which allows you to watch the film with the script viewable in another window. You can also access the storyboard viewer, which allows you to watch the film and view the storyboards at the same time. These are two welcome DVD-ROM extras and a certainly worth a look if you have a DVD-ROM drive on your computer. DISC TWO: First we have the almost 40 minute documentary entitled ‘An Epic At Sea’ this is a 9 part documentary that begins with an introduction to the film and covers the actors, locations, production design, the ships, make-up / wardrobe, stunts / swords, visual effects and the premiere of the film. For just under 40 minutes this is a very in-depths look at each of those aspects of the film. Mixed with an equal balance of informative interviews, behind-the-scenes and clips form the film what we have here is a satisfying look at what it takes to make a period film today. Three diaries follow the documentary they are ‘Producer’s Photo Diary’, ‘Diary of a Pirate’ and ‘Diary of a Ship’. The first features some photos taken on the set by Bruckheimer and feature his comments over the photos. The second ‘Diary of a Pirate’ is a short video diary kept by actor Lee Arenberg. This follows Lee and gives the viewer a first hand look at what it was like being an actor on this film and we also get to spend some time off the set as well. This is a nice curiosity piece. The final diary ‘Diary of a Ship’ chronicles the journey of the replica ship ‘The Lady Washington’ from California to the Caribbean. ‘The Lady Washington’ was refitted and repainted to play the role of ‘The Interceptor’ in the film. Another nice curiosity piece that gives us a first hand look at what it’s like to be apart of a ship’s crew and the trouble they went to to make the journey. Now we get to one of my favourite extras and one I wish where on more DVDs. The ‘Fly On The Set’ featurette, running at just over 20 minutes this is exactly as the title suggests. You get to peek at the filming of a few scenes from the film. You get to see how the actors and crew block, set-up and shoot scenes. This is just raw video footage from 5 scenes that include Town Attack, Tortuga, Blacksmith Shop, The Cave, and Jack's Hanging. If you are interested in what it’s like to be on a film set then this is an extra you will certainly like. You can watch them all at once or select them individually from the sub-menu. Next up is the interactive feature entitled ‘Below Deck: An Interactive History Of Pirates’ This is a sort of historical extra that allows you to explore the world of pirates and learn facts about their lives and time period. The feature is presented by historian David Cordingly, to be honest I haven’t spent a lot of time exploring this extra but after having skimmed through a few topics it certainly is an extra worth exploring and is quite educational as well, you will learn a few things that you didn’t know about pirates through this. Following the interactive feature we have 19 deleted scenes, although they are listed as being deleted scenes they are more like extended scenes. You can select to view them separately or you have the option to play all. These scenes include: 1. ‘Meet Will Turner’ This is a slight extension to an already existing scene in the film. It’s a longer introduction to Will, where we see him in the Governor’s hallway awaiting to present him with the sword he crafted. 2. ‘Carriage Ride’ deleted scene of Elizabeth and her father riding off to the ceremony for Norrington 3. ‘A Change In The Wind’ an extension to an already existing scene in the film. We see longer shots of the wind changing after Elizabeth has fallen in the water. 4. ‘Only One Shot’ an extension to an already existing scene in the film. Here we have some brief dialogue exchange between Jack and Will after he breaks Jack out of the jail. 5. ‘Peep Show’ a deleted scene where Pintel and Ragetti spy on Elizabeth putting on the red dress on the Black Pearl. 6. ‘All Is Well’ an extension to an already existing scene in the film, this just features some more dialogue on Tortuga as Jack and Will walk the street. 7. ‘Make It Last’ an extension to an already existing scene in the film, this scene features more dialogue in the pub on Tortuga. 8. ‘A Bit Of A Stick’ an extension to an already existing scene in the film, more Will in Tortuga, this just acting like a fool. 9. ‘It's Begun’ an extension to an already existing scene in the film. Features more dialogue between Jack and Will as they paddle through the cave of the Isle De Muerte to save Elizabeth. 10. ‘The French’ an extension to an already existing scene in the film, Jack gets caught by the Pirates after he explains that ‘Parlay’ originated from the French he also tells of other things that were invented by the French like Mayonnaise. 11. ‘Not All That Big’ an extension to an already existing scene in the film, this scene features more of Jack and Elizabeth stranded on the island. 12. ‘No Truth At All’ an extension to an already existing scene in the film, more of Jack and Elizabeth on the island. 13. ‘Accepting The Proposal’ a deleted scene where Elizabeth and Norrington talk on the deck of the Interceptor about the acceptance of marriage, Norrington suspects it was hasty. 14. ‘Peas In A Pod’ a deleted scene where Jack and Elizabeth share a scene on the deck of the Interceptor. 15. ‘Take A Walk’ an extension to an already existing scene in the film, this is just a longer cut of the pirates sneak attack on the awaiting soldiers near the end of the film. 16. ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ an extension to an already existing scene in the film, a longer cut of the scene of the two pirates deciding what to eat first when the curse is lifted. 17. ‘The Immortal Captain Jack’ (1:03): an extension to an already existing scene in the film, but here we have Jack removing the curse instead of using Will’s blood. 18. ‘Good Luck’ an extension to an already existing scene in the film, where the parrot shits on the soldier, in this longer cut we see the other soldier standing next to him also gets shat on. 19. ‘Happy Ending’ an extension to the ending where we have Norrington with some additional dialogue. These scenes are presented in various ratios and are non-anamorphic. The image quality is rather good though. These scenes needed an optional commentary by Verbinski that would be my only quibble. Next we have around 3 minutes of bloopers. Made of mistakes or improvisations gone bad, the booklet described them as being ‘absolutely wild’, I disagree these bloopers are average at best. Although it’s a nice this doesn’t add anything of real value to this DVD like some of the other extras listed above. Our next extra to explore is a short featurette entitled ‘Moonlight Serenade Scene Progression’ this is just a shot for shot progression of the effects in the scene where Barbossa reveals to Elizabeth that they are cursed. The ILM staffers go through the process of creating the digital effects to help sell this scene. An interesting bonus that gives the viewer an albeit brief but informative look at how a scene like is created with the help of computer graphics. Next we have something right from the Disney Archives, a featurette entitled ‘Pirates In The Parks: Walt Disney's Wonderful World Of Color’ This 1968 made for TV special is a promotional short about the creating of the at the time new ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ theme park ride. This is a nice piece of vintage nostalgia that also gives the viewer an idea about the origins of what inspired the film. Next we have a comprehensive image gallery that features 290 stills that include Inspiration for the film, Concept Art, Storyboards, Costumes, Production, and Publicity. Finally disc two is capped off with more DVD-ROM extras that include: ‘Moonlight Becomes Ye’ this feature allows you to place a digital image of your face and turn you into a cursed pirate. There is also a ‘Disneyland Pirates Virtual Reality Viewer’ this is a virtual reality tour of the actual theme park ride. You can also access ‘Dead Men Tell No Tale’ this is a short history of the theme park ride. And finally we get an extended image gallery that gives us an additional 48 stills mainly of the theme park ride that shows the different stages of its development. To top it all off we also get a booklet that gives us the low-down on all the extras plus a chapter listing for the film.
Overall
Just like the Disney ride itself this film is also a thrilling adventure that will entertain just about everyone. Wonderful quirky performances and epic action set pieces add to the charm and enjoyment factor. Buena Vista has given us a superb transfer and an equally superb sound track. Some of the extras are top notch and are a welcomed addition to the DVD, although there are a few that add very little value. I would recommend this film to anyone, especially those that have a sense of adventure!
|
|||||
|