The General Story:
In the mid 1700’s, the British
Empire is filling in the gaps on the world map, ruling the seas with their
large convoy of battle ships. The last remaining pirates of the world roam free
across the waters, including one Captain Jack Sparrow. Known by everyone
everywhere he goes, and usually not for good reasons, Sparrow runs into his old
sailing buddies, who have discovered immortality, turning into skeletons at
night when in the moonlight. After they kidnap the Governors daughter Elizabeth, her love interest
Will Turner and Captain Jack grab a ship, a ragtag crew and pursue Captain Barbossa
and his unmerry men to rescue the damsel in distress.
What influenced the
movie: From all accounts, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black
Pearl” was the first film to be based on a ride, one of Disneyland’s most
famous and popular attractions. On paper, this sounded like a ballsy move from
the filmmaker’s part, but it seemed there was a goldmine of potential to dig
up, in terms of characters, setting and ideas to form a world of pirates and
swashbuckling adventures. In the hands of competent director Gore Verbinski,
the first Pirates film was largely influenced by the stellar performance of its
star, Jonny Depp. Previously not an actor associated with blockbuster films or
Disney fare, Depp turned out a performance that was funny, convincing and out
of this world.
How the movie
influenced the 00's: Having the element of surprise firmly on its side, the
first Pirates movie did so well in most regards, it created a franchise and
made Johnny Depp the worlds newest and biggest movie star. The guy most
audiences remember as Edwards Scissorhands or Gilbert Grape was now an action
hero; taking his years of perfected method acting and movie star charisma, Depp
showed his long-time fans a whole new side to his acting chops and garnered a
worldwide audience for the first time his career. In between the subsequent
Pirates sequels, Depp starred in many other popular movies, including a remake
of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, “Sweeney Todd’ and “Alice in Wonderland”.
Each time, sticking to his roots by playing the most unorthodox of characters
in makeup, costumes and various voices while continuing to appeal to a
mainstream audience. This move would be emulated again in 2008 when the part of
Iron Man was cast with Robert Downey Jnr, and that paid off for the film, and
Downey, in spades.
What makes it stand out
as a film of the 00's: In the early 00’s, films about fantasy, swords and
sandals, and knights and warriors reigned supreme, thanks to Gladiators ongoing
influencing and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. As we couldn’t get enough of
action-adventure epics set in the past, but with a twist, watching out
favourite Hollywood actors battle foes and even monsters with swords and axes
was all the rage. Depp made the first Pirates film at the peak of his acting
powers, completely reinventing himself while staying true to his roots. The
00’s belonged to Depp, as we turned out in droves for the first two Pirates
sequels, “Dead Man’s Chest” and “At Worlds End” which were filmed and released
back to back.
Impact of the movie
still felt today: Depp still continues to pull in a crowd, but I feel
personally, his staying power at the movies has begun to dwindle. After the
first three Pirates films, we got two more in 2011 and 2017 respectively, but
who asked for them really? I haven’t seen them and don’t intend to, and from
what I’ve heard “On Stranger Tides” and “Dead Man Tell No Tales” aren’t that
great. Hollywood knows a winning formula when they’ve got one, but they often
don’t know when it’s time to stop, as the novelty of seeing Depp in the first Pirates
film has come and gone. Lucky for him, and in a smart move, he has continued to
make smaller, independent films in between all the hollow blockbusters, going
back to his roots as a character actor. But Depp continues to reinvent himself
and refine his craft, because he clearly loves what he does for a living. He is
always enjoyable to watch, and maybe I’ve just outgrown him, but he seems to be
stretching the success of the first pirates’ film as far as he can. By 2023,
the first film will be twenty years old, so maybe by that point he will have
his third career resurgence?
No comments:
Post a Comment