Bon Journal

Pirates of the Caribbean

"C'mon, let's go see Pirates of the Caribbean," my friend urged me. "You'll love it."

"But you've seen it before!" I protested.

"That's why I know you'll love it. Besides, I'd love to see it again!"

So along we went. I knew the story was about pirates set in the Caribbean. And that there's going to be a damsel in distress who will be rescued by either a prince or a pirate.

The movie took me to the seas, where I've always associated my childhood. The first tree I drew was a coconut tree. The movie reminded me of my dream of escaping to the South Pacific and living a life of wanton leisure.

I've seen that young man before, I thought to myself pointing to the young blacksmith Will Turner. His face was very familiar. Ah! He was the blonde elf in the Lord of the Rings movie -- Orlando Bloom, his real name.

Johnny Depp was adept at being Captain Jack Sparrow, representing the quintessential pirate whose intentions were equally good and bad. I suppose living on the rough seas one has to fend for himself -- it's survival of the fittest after all.

The damsel in distress was not a stupid lass. She was fascinated by pirates from an early age, and true to her nature, she followed her heart rather than her head.

During the intermission (yeah, who's ever heard of intermissions at movie theatres in England or the US?) I analysed the film with my friend. It's not even the climax yet, I complained. What is the curse, I asked.

At times, I was gripped by terror! I was carried to another land and another time. As usual, with good movies, I stayed to watch the credits to find out where the movie was filmed.

It was filmed in St Vincent's and the Grenadines --- in the Caribbean, of course. And I wasn't surprised to see that the movie was a Walt Disney production.

Verdict - go see it. But you'll be disappointed to find out that pirates have bad teeth.

8 September 2003 Monday

analyticalQ movie reviews