Review of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) by Cali Fornia C — 08 Dec 2018

Disney could have slapped together any old thing and made it gorgeous, but tame. But the writers took the time to create a smart plot-- with the little pieces fitting together as nicely as the big ones-- that stands up to re-watching. As expected, it *is* a gorgeous swashbuckling tale, with dashes of comedy and romance. Perhaps less expected is the sexiness, grit, and horror. The cast - from the leads down to the last scalawag, is stellar, varied, and interesting, with not just one, but two pirate crews.

For those who grew up going to Disneyland regularly, the film gives extra hits of dopamine for so exactly capturing some of the visuals of the ride, yet smoothly fitting them into the plot.