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Compiled by: Jack Foley
WELL, HEY ho me hearties, it looks as though director, Gore Verbinski,
won't be walking the studio plank just yet... as his Summer swashbuckler,
Pirates of the Caribbean opened in the US on Wednesday (July 9)
to largely positive reviews.
Not bad for a movie that has the dubious honour of being the
first to be based on a theme park ride.
Leading the way with the accolades is the Hollywood Reporter,
which wrote that 'this is one time when a cartoon approach in
live action is exactly right: The movie's flamboyant personalities
and tongue-in-cheek action push the envelope of high camp without
ever succumbing to sheer silliness'.
The New York Daily News, meanwhile, wrote that 'while
the plot and action are all deliberately familiar, director Gore
Verbinski steers a continual course for sheer, mindless, rope-swinging,
crow's-nest-hollering summer fun'.
And E! Online opined that 'this flick may just be the
buried treasure of the summer-blockbuster season'.
Paul Clinton, of CNN, even went as far as to say that
Pirates is 'one of the few must-see films of this summer', while
Newsday stated that 'Pirates of the Caribbean has a smart
script, an attractive cast, some very creative violence and romance
to boot'.
EFilmCritic.com wrote that 'this is a helluva enjoyable
flick that (dare I say it) doesn’t require the knowledge
of a trip down that old boat ride, since it creates its own ride
all by itself', while the Denver Post declared that 'Pirates
of the Caribbean may have taken its nutso inspiration from a theme-park
ride. But it has become, without a doubt, its own wild ride'.
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Less impressed, however (and there are always bad reviews!),
were the likes of the San Francisco Chronicle, which wrote that
it is 'a monotonous, repetitive spectacle of endless shipboard
sword fights and pirate ghosts in the moonlight'.
The New York Post felt that 'Pirates of the Caribbean tends to
overstay its welcome', while LA Weekly declared that 'the booty
here is 100 percent fool's gold'.
The San Jose Mercury News, meanwhile, stated that 'Pirates of
the Caribbean is a movie that you ride around in circles for 2
hours and 23 minutes, until at last it brings you back where you
began, exhausted and a lot dizzier'.
And the Los Angeles Times wrote it off as being 'as forgettable
as a bad day in the Disneyland parking lot'.
But the overall feeling was one of fun, with the Chicago Tribune
stating that 'Pirates of the Caribbean is fun - but only as long
as you don't expect much'.
Likewise, USA Today, which wrote that 'Pirates will enthrall
kids and amuse adults. Its only failing is that at 2 hours and
15 minutes, it's about 20 minutes too long'.
And the Philadelphia Inquirer, which opined that it is
'an improbably entertaining, if overlong, adventure that brings
new meaning to the term 'summer camp'.
The final word, however, goes to Premiere magazine, which states
that 'Pirates is Indiana Jones on the high seas, complete with
serial B-movie concept, wall-to-wall action, and fantastic myths
come true'.
The film is due to sail into UK cinemas on August 8, when IndieLondon
will deliver its verdict, as well as cast interviews with Orlando
Bloom (yes, he of Lord of the
Rings fame) and Keira Knightley.
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